AND THE GUINEA FOWL
Cosmas Uzodinma
One morning, while jogging around my neighbourhood, I came across a sight that stopped me in my tracks. A hen was foraging keenly, surrounded by a brood of six guinea chicks. I was puzzled. How did this hen end up mothering guinea chicks? Someone, it seemed, had played a clever trick—swapping her own eggs for guinea eggs while she was brooding.
But what struck me most wasn’t the trick itself—it was that the hen had successfully incubated and hatched every one of those eggs, despite them not being her own. Her maternal instinct had carried her through.
That scene reminded me of the conversation I had with the General Manager of the successful poultry farm. One word stood out from that exchange: brooding.
In that moment, I saw a powerful metaphor for entrepreneurship. When it comes to building a business, there are two kinds of prospective entrepreneurs—the Hens and the Guinea Fowls.
The Hens
Hens are driven by strong maternal instincts. Once they enter the brooding phase, they become focused, disciplined, and fiercely protective. A broody hen will sit on her eggs with remarkable consistency, keeping them warm, turning them gently, and guarding them against every threat.
This period is one of total devotion—a kind of self-imposed isolation for the sake of a future reward. It’s a lesson in delayed gratification.
1. Incubation Mode
A broody hen suspends all comfort. She sits almost constantly on her eggs, leaving the nest only once or twice a day for the bare essentials of life—food, water, and relief. Entrepreneurs like her are those who lock in, sacrifice immediate pleasures, and stay committed until their ideas “hatch.”
2. Reduced Socialization
During incubation, the hen isolates herself from the flock. Likewise, successful entrepreneurs often withdraw from excessive social distractions. In Nigeria especially, over-socialization—parties, ceremonies, endless gatherings—quietly kill most businesses.
3. Protectiveness
A broody hen is fierce. She defends her nest against intruders, even snakes. In business, this translates to a no-nonsense focus—shielding your ideas and resources from negative influences and time-wasters.
4. Nest Fixation
The hen is meticulous about her nest. Move her from it, and she’ll find her way back. In business terms, this reflects total investment—time, energy, thought, and resources poured into one’s enterprise.
5. Maternal Responsiveness
As hatching time nears, the hen listens for faint peeps from within the eggs. She anticipates life before it emerges. The entrepreneur, likewise, keeps checking, refining, testing, and preparing for the breakthrough.
6. Commitment to Nestlings
After hatching, the hen becomes an attentive teacher and protector—guiding her chicks, feeding them, and sounding distinct clucks to gather them. Entrepreneurs of this kind nurture their ventures through early fragility to maturity.
The Guinea Fowls
Guinea fowls, on the other hand, are far less reliable mothers. They often lay communally in hidden nests, and at the slightest disturbance, may abandon their eggs entirely. Though they may lay large clutches—sometimes up to 30 eggs—they rarely see incubation through to completion.
They are easily startled by noise, predators, or environmental changes. Even after hatching, their “keets” (guinea chicks) are extremely vulnerable because the mother is less nurturing and not always attentive to their needs.
In business, many people resemble the guinea fowl entrepreneur. They start with excitement, full of ideas and energy, but quickly lose focus at the first distraction. They lack the grit and steadiness required to see things through.
These are the people constantly pulled away by every social obligations—church or mosque events, traditional ceremonies, naming and wedding parties, family meetings, and other endless engagements. They spend so much time “showing up” that their business slowly fades away.
Guinea fowl entrepreneurs often suffer from what I call entrepreneurial ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) —a restless need for novelty, a hunger for attention, and a chronic inability to finish what they start.
In terms of focus, resilience, and nurturing ability, the hen clearly outperforms the guinea fowl. That is why farmers salvage guinea fowl eggs by placing under a broody hen—because she will see the process through.
In the end, every prospective entrepreneur must choose whether to be the Hen sitting on his dreams until they hatch? Or a Guinea Fowl, distracted by every sound, abandoning your nest before the chicks emerge?
