Keets arrived from Guinea Farm of Iowa. Pics included.

[R2elk]

There has been tons of discussion on the use of ACV, and since I have only used it once a few years ago I never paid to much attention to the drama of if it is good or bad, then I found this. I am assuming( not always a good idea) that it applies to most poultry.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8136961/

This invalidates the study as being done on ACV.

"To prepare vinegar, apple fruits were sliced and their seeds removed and then placed in a jar. Diluted industrial vinegar (1:4 water and vinegar) were added and the jar transferred to a warm and dark place for 3 weeks. Finally, the solid parts removed and the liquid used as apple cider vinegar."

This is not how ACV is made. They used an apple infused industrial vinegar. This is not actual ACV and does not contain "mother".

It also makes zero claims about pasty butt.

 

[Bicoastal]

This morning's update: heat lamp and temperature regulation has been much better over the last 20 hours or so. I am picking up a dimmer today but it is cold outside (SNOW/rain mix in April. In VIRGINIA! ) and cool in the house and we have the temp just right.

Only a few messy butts this morning that cleaned up well. Cleaning still takes me one hour twice a day. I have to figure out how to streamline the cleaning process. I probably spend another hour throughout the day checking on them. I also get up a few times each night to check temperature. Wowza I forgot how much work this is.


Edited to add pic, because what’s an update without photos?!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

This morning's update: heat lamp and temperature regulation has been much better over the last 20 hours or so. I am picking up a dimmer today but it is cold outside (SNOW/rain mix in April. In VIRGINIA! ) and cool in the house and we have the temp just right.

Only a few messy butts this morning that cleaned up well. Cleaning still takes me one hour twice a day. I have to figure out how to streamline the cleaning process. I probably spend another hour throughout the day checking on them. I also get up a few times each night to check temperature. Wowza I forgot how much work this is.


Edited to add pic, because what’s an update without photos?!

Hi Bicoastal, thanks for the update - glad your keets are still hanging in there! I just read through this thread and had a few thoughts: heat light vs heat plate, I’ve used both but usually use the light. What wattage is your light? I have a series of bulbs, from 60 - 250. I only use the 250 if I have a ton of keets set up in a big area in the garage, with wire too, concrete floor and wood sides, well away from the lamp. I am so scared of heat lamps as they can start a fire so fast. I’d be terrified of a cardboard box and heat lamp. For smaller groups, I use a plastic tote with the top cut out and hardware cloth bolted on. Then the lamp gets wired to the hardware cloth. I’ve still managed to melt some plastic but it’s safer. I put a thermometer at keet height using a rolled washcloth. I pick the size bulb that gets the temperature to about 105 F directly under the bulb, but down to about 80-85 at the edges of the tote. Then keets can move and adjust to how hot they want it. For stressed keets (like shipped) I use Nutridrench OR electrolytes, and Sav a chick probiotics in one waterer then I have a separate waterer with clear water. Pebbles in waterer or I have a tiny chick waterer that they can’t get into to get wet or drown. I smash their gamebird crumble for the first week and scatter on floor plus their chick feed dish. For flooring, I have been using puppy pads. I put a stack of six pads in on layers, then each day I roll up one layer to keep clean. After six days, I transfer keets to a box and use dilute disinfectant to clean, then wipe with water, dry and restock puppy pads. Some will eat the pads so that’s not great but I figure better than eating shavings. I keep liquid amprolium around and put it in all water at the high dose rate if they start getting sick in case they have coccidiosis. I don’t think it’s a problem if I hatch from my own hens, but there are lots of species of coccidia and one variety doesn’t induce immunity to other varieties. Hope your keets continue to do great!!!

 

[Bicoastal]

At last night’s cleaning, two pasty butts that cleaned up completely. Their feet are another story. Is some level of poop crust normal or is this a management fail? Especially around their claws, they have tiny balls of poop firmly crusted on. I spent an extra hour trying to soak and wipe off the poop. Getting their feet wet kinda seemed to make the poop stickier! I cannot soak their feet long enough to get it off.

No joke I think I’d have to submerge their feet for a half hour or an hour. Maybe not even then would it release. Of course the water gets cold in all that time. I’m afraid I’m causing more harm than good.

Do I need to fashion a raised wire floor for the cardboard box?

Brooder plate should arrive by end of day Wednesday. Heat lamp is now on a dimmer and we are steady around 94 hash mark.

Heat lamp is both clamped by the squeeze handle and snapped by the metal loop so it cannot fall. It’s 250W. I’ve not been able to find a 150W bulb. That’s the best I can do for now.

I have Sav A Chick electrolytes, Sav A Chick probiotics, Rooster Booster, Pedialyte, Poly Vi Sol, and Corrid. They are just getting plain water. I only have one small waterer but could fashion a lid with marbles or make a little waterer with chicken nipples. Do I need to supplement the water preventatively or wait until I see problems?

I am eager they learn to use a nipple waterer but I’m not sure at what age they can manage that.

 

[R2elk]

No joke I think I’d have to submerge their feet for a half hour or an hour. Maybe not even then would it release. Of course the water gets cold in all that time. I’m afraid I’m causing more harm than good.

Chicken chicks are by far the best for keeping their feet clean. Turkey poults are not as good at it. Keets are the worst.

The method that works best for me when they get the little hard balls on their feet is to use a pair of small flush cutting dikes. I carefully clip the balls with the dikes parallel to the toe but making sure to not get close enough to the toe to actually cut it.

Once the "ball" is opened it flakes off pretty easily. If you feel the need to wet it, once opened, it will absorb soapy water very easily.

 

[Bicoastal]

Chicken chicks are by far the best for keeping their feet clean. Turkey poults are not as good at it. Keets are the worst.

Thank you, @R2elk. I was feeling like a very bad poultry keeper and it's not for lack of trying! Some of them are perfectly clean and some have poop shoes. I was pondering if a veeery slightly soapy water will help. I am not sure if I have the guts to cut but tiny cuticles scissors did cross my mind about 45 minutes into my failed efforts late last night with my back aching and a squirming, screaming, horrified keet in my hand. I'll try a little soap in the water.

They turn one week old today! 12 are off to new homes. Hopefully that will help with cleaning.

 

[R2elk]

Thank you, @R2elk. I was feeling like a very bad poultry keeper and it's not for lack of trying! Some of them are perfectly clean and some have poop shoes. I was pondering if a veeery slightly soapy water will help. I am not sure if I have the guts to cut but tiny cuticles scissors did cross my mind about 45 minutes into my failed efforts late last night with my back aching and a squirming, screaming, horrified keet in my hand. I'll try a little soap in the water.

They turn one week old today! 12 are off to new homes. Hopefully that will help with cleaning.

The soapy water doesn't do much of anything if you don't break through the dried crust. If you break through the dried crust, the soapy water will quickly soften the rest of it.

 

[Bicoastal]

The soapy water doesn't do much of anything if you don't breal through the dried crust. If you break through the dried crust, the soapy water will quickly soften the rest of it.

eek! Cutting near teeny tiny toes is scary. Deep breath. Wish me luck and a steady hand...

 

[Bicoastal]

Picture of the poop shoes.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

At last night’s cleaning, two pasty butts that cleaned up completely. Their feet are another story. Is some level of poop crust normal or is this a management fail? Especially around their claws, they have tiny balls of poop firmly crusted on. I spent an extra hour trying to soak and wipe off the poop. Getting their feet wet kinda seemed to make the poop stickier! I cannot soak their feet long enough to get it off.

No joke I think I’d have to submerge their feet for a half hour or an hour. Maybe not even then would it release. Of course the water gets cold in all that time. I’m afraid I’m causing more harm than good.

Do I need to fashion a raised wire floor for the cardboard box?

Brooder plate should arrive by end of day Wednesday. Heat lamp is now on a dimmer and we are steady around 94 hash mark.

Heat lamp is both clamped by the squeeze handle and snapped by the metal loop so it cannot fall. It’s 250W. I’ve not been able to find a 150W bulb. That’s the best I can do for now.

I have Sav A Chick electrolytes, Sav A Chick probiotics, Rooster Booster, Pedialyte, Poly Vi Sol, and Corrid. They are just getting plain water. I only have one small waterer but could fashion a lid with marbles or make a little waterer with chicken nipples. Do I need to supplement the water preventatively or wait until I see problems?

I am eager they learn to use a nipple waterer but I’m not sure at what age they can manage that.

Re: messy butts and feet, if they have a messy rear, I get warm (tepid) water going in bathroom sink, gently hold and clean off rear end, dry with paper towel then apply vaseline. Vaseline helps a lot with keeping anything from sticking and plugging them up. If they have pasty butt, then they have some degree of diarrhea/GI disruption, so I would definitely offer electrolytes OR Nutridrench with probiotics added. If you don’t have a suitable waterer, any small shallow dish with pebbles will work but they will walk and poop in it so you’ll need to clean and refill twice a day. I just rinse the pebble filled dish with hot water twice a day. Hot pebbles help warm up the new liquid I add since I will mix up a gallon and keep refrigerated. Electrolytes do a good job of saving sick baby animals with diarrhea. The probiotics help establish a normal healthy flora in the GI tract so are a primary treatment.

For feet… this sounds bad but I mostly ignore their feet. My ideal brooder would indeed have a wire bottom so the poop falls through and their feet stay clean. Since I don’t yet have my ideal brooder, I just keep the brooder as clean as is practical and I leave them to their messy feet. At around 2 weeks they should be out of that small brooder and into something bigger and that’s when I’d consider shavings that will keep their feet cleaner.

As for your light - have you checked the temperature under there with a thermometer? When I use a 250 light it has to be at least two feet off the ground with a large space available or it will cook them. I would bet that your brooder is way too hot.