GROWTH POTENTIAL AND CARCASS YIELDS OF EXOTIC AND INDIGENOUS GUINEA FOWLS IN GHANA

Abstract

Two hundred exotic ISA ESSOR guinea fowls (EGF) from Belgium were raised together with 306 indigenous guinea fowls (IGF) from day-old to 18 weeks of age under the same management scheme. The results indicated an overall improved growth performance of the EGF and consequently, higher carcass yields than the IGF. For instance, while the EGF gained 7.9g, 13.0g, 19.4g and 31.1g per day in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th weeks of growth respectively, the IGF gained 3.6g, 9.0g, 5.0g and 6.4g respectively within the same period Similarly, the body weights gained by the end of the 10th, I I th and 12th weeks were 1295g, 1455g, and I579g respectively for the EGF while the corresponding respective weights for the IGF were 618g, 638g and 651g. Mortality by the end of 18 weeks was 8.0% in the EGF and 49.7% in the IGF. While the respective bled and dressed weights of the EGF were 1912.50g and 1466.67g, those of the IGF were only 1045.83g and 782.61g respectively. All the carcass components of the EGF weighed about twice as much of those of the IGF.