Guinea fowl are a growing farmed species in Europe, but welfare-specific research and standards lag far behind poultry species such as chickens, leaving significant knowledge and protection gaps.
Guinea fowl welfare is a neglected area precisely because it is a smaller commercial species without the lobbying attention and research investment that chicken welfare has attracted. Their strong wild-type instincts mean conventional poultry housing designed for domesticated chickens may be particularly stressful. The pre-slaughter period is likely the highest welfare risk - birds experiencing extreme fear responses during catching. Developing welfare standards for guinea fowl requires species-specific research, recognising that this is not simply a smaller version of a chicken but a fundamentally different animal with different needs and responses.