Keets arrived from Guinea Farm of Iowa. Pics included.

[Bicoastal]

I ordered keets from Guinea Farm of Iowa just after Thanksgiving. They are here!
The mail label was scanned at 11am Tuesday. Initially tracking said they will arrive by 6pm Thursday. That startled me. I paid for Express shipping.

Today I called my local post office to give them a heads up. They told me a different hub location handled live chicks. I called that location to let them know and ask the procedure. We had a good chat. Then an hour later he calls me and I hear peeping in the background!

They were all looking fairly good at the post office. Got them home and they are drinking a lot, eating, and figuring out life. Really nice variety of colors. So far so great!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I ordered keets from Guinea Farm of Iowa just after Thanksgiving. They are here!
The mail label was scanned at 11am Tuesday. Initially tracking said they will arrive by 6pm Thursday. That startled me. I paid for Express shipping.

Today I called my local post office to give them a heads up. They told me a different hub location handled live chicks. I called that location to let them know and ask the procedure. We had a good chat. Then an hour later he calls me and I hear peeping in the background!

They were all looking fairly good at the post office. Got them home and they are drinking a lot, eating, and figuring out life. Really nice variety of colors. So far so great!

Oh how beautiful!!! I see multiple pintos and violets in there! I love the way my violets look in the sun. Congratulations!!! I hope you’ll post pics and updates!

 

[Bicoastal]

I see multiple pintos and violets in there! I love the way my violets look in the sun.

Do you know colors? I have no clue what I have. I ordered “assorted” and I don’t even know which colors are options in that category vs their “fancy assorted” option. Their website lists A LOT of colors.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Do you know colors? I have no clue what I have. I ordered “assorted” and I don’t even know which colors are options in that category vs their “fancy assorted” option. Their website lists A LOT of colors.

Some colors! I’ve been adding violet birds to my confusion so I’ve seen a number of violet keets now. I circled a violet in red. They have a foxy back color and charcoal head. I circled a pinto in green, they have a narrow or broken back stripe. Your pintos will be showier than my lone pinto survivor (Surplice). I had some showier ones too but they didn’t make it. Blue looks like royal purple. Their head stripes are wavy, showing that they are semi-pearled or semi-dotted. You have some lighter colored semi-dotted ones as well that might be chocolate. Yellow looks like lavender, they have a grey background with the widows peak head stripe, showing that they are fully pearled. The white ones could be white, but GF has some other colors that are just barely off white as keets so they could be something else. I see other colors that I’m not so familiar with but one (left of lavender) looks like it might be a blue attenuate so sky blue. If I add any this year that’s the color I want to add! You will have a colorful flock from this group! Some of our posters last year lost some of their shipped keets soon after arrival, probably delayed shipping stress. I’m hoping for the best for your keets!!!

 

[Sydney65]

I ordered keets from Guinea Farm of Iowa just after Thanksgiving. They are here!
The mail label was scanned at 11am Tuesday. Initially tracking said they will arrive by 6pm Thursday. That startled me. I paid for Express shipping.

Today I called my local post office to give them a heads up. They told me a different hub location handled live chicks. I called that location to let them know and ask the procedure. We had a good chat. Then an hour later he calls me and I hear peeping in the background!

They were all looking fairly good at the post office. Got them home and they are drinking a lot, eating, and figuring out life. Really nice variety of colors. So far so great!

Glad to see them looking so well! I'd still give them nutridrench to ease any stress from traveling from Iowa to Va.
Now I'm getting excited. I kind of unknowingly blundered, as mine are arriving the last week of May, 1st week of June. In the meantime, I've been scheduled for and can't put off carpal tunnel surgery -THAT week.
Looks like Himself is going to become more acquainted with the guineas this year.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Glad to see them looking so well! I'd still give them nutridrench to ease any stress from traveling from Iowa to Va.
Now I'm getting excited. I kind of unknowingly blundered, as mine are arriving the last week of May, 1st week of June. In the meantime, I've been scheduled for and can't put off carpal tunnel surgery -THAT week.
Looks like Himself is going to become more acquainted with the guineas this year.

Oh wow Sydney! Best of luck with your surgery and speedy healing!!!

 

[Sydney65]

Oh wow Sydney! Best of luck with your surgery and speedy healing!!!

Thanks!

 

[Bicoastal]

I gave them Sav A Chick in the water for the first two days. Regular water yesterday. They hatched Tuesday. At what point do you all think I’m out of the danger zone as far as shipping stress?

@Mixed flock enthusiast, thank you so much for the color ID, explanation, and circling. That is super duper helpful!

I just could not keep the brooder warm enough outside, so they are in a box in my spare bedroom. Pics attached. Now inside the trouble is keeping them from getting too warm, which they seem to love but I’ve read contributes to pasty butt.

A few with messy butts. It’s hard to get the poop completely off in what seems like a reasonable time before the water gets cold, they get cold, or I simply fear I’m aggravating the skin too much.

Some have poopy feet. How worried do I need to be about that? They are on shelf liner over a towel in the box. I threw a handful of straw on the side they tend to sleep to try to keep their feet cleaner. They joyfully spread it everywhere.

I change bedding and water twice a day and check butts when I clean (so 2x/day). Happy to hear any suggestions for improvement.

 

[Sydney65]

I gave them Sav A Chick in the water for the first two days. Regular water yesterday. They hatched Tuesday. At what point do you all think I’m out of the danger zone as far as shipping stress?

@Mixed flock enthusiast, thank you so much for the color ID, explanation, and circling. That is super duper helpful!

I just could not keep the brooder warm enough outside, so they are in a box in my spare bedroom. Pics attached. Now inside the trouble is keeping them from getting too warm, which they seem to love but I’ve read contributes to pasty butt.

A few with messy butts. It’s hard to get the poop completely off in what seems like a reasonable time before the water gets cold, they get cold, or I simply fear I’m aggravating the skin too much.

Some have poopy feet. How worried do I need to be about that? They are on shelf liner over a towel in the box. I threw a handful of straw on the side they tend to sleep to try to keep their feet cleaner. They joyfully spread it everywhere.

I change bedding and water twice a day and check butts when I clean (so 2x/day). Happy to hear any suggestions for improvement.

I never used water to clean, instead opting for coconut oil or whatever veg oil you have. Gentler, easier, & protecting. Used the same on the feet. Don't think the straw is a good idea, lest they eat it?
I put the rubbery shelf liner, which I assume is what you mean, down. The 1st bit of time I use paper towels on that. Then move on to puppy training pads. I use Meijer brand ones, they don't seem filled with the absorbing gel stuff as is in diapers, just seems safer.
If you think they're getting pasty butt, raise your light, or look up mama's heating pad in search in this site. I made a tunnel and put the pad through it with a cut off fleece pj leg covering it so they were getting heated overhead and on feet, at the right height, on low, this was perfect.
I *think* the supplement cont for 5 days, and you provide both h2o w/ & w/o supplement. Check the package or wait for others to comment. I know someone's shipment last yr seemed perfect& then went south on them days in, so better safe than sorry. Check their belly buttons to make sure its healing well w/o drainage.
Sorry, I keep editing to add more - re belly button, this is what you don't want-

 

[Bicoastal]

Ok, I’ve made a DIY mamas heating pad/hen cave. I scooped a bunch under there but only a few stayed. I also purchased a 100W reptile light.

They seem terrified of the pad. I’m terrified to not have another heat source. Will they learn to go under out of necessity if I remove the heat lamp?

You can see them lined around it.