10 one week old guineas keets QUESTIONS On feed and housing

[Tootsie]

The place I work at (WITHOUT THINKING AS USUAL) just bought 10 baby 1 week old guineas. Our lone male, well his buddies were killed by predators.

No clue why they would do this with an existing fox problem, anyway:

What to feed them and for how long. One place said medicated chick another said no.

How long must they be under lights and in a crate?

 

[Aj1911]

i feed mine game bird (28%) and have from day 1 they are still on it at 1 year old except now they get rolled oats, oyster shell, and a little laying pellets mixed in

as for the light usually 7-8 weeks is good i just wait tell they have feathers and then turn it off.

 

[obe10]

i raised mine the same as i raised my chickens standard crumbles for feed, quick chick in there water for the 1st week or so (quick chick is electrolytes), and about 4-5 weeks on the light, 5-6 weeks old and their ready to go out to the run or coop, and by then they should be on cracked corn. good luck

 

[Aj1911]

Quote:
cracked corn doesn't have enough protein in winter

in summer when they free range maybe but not in winter when there is less bugs.

guineas have to have alot more protein then chickens to be healthy (chickens get by on 17-20% guineas need 26-28% )

 

[obe10]

they eat there own eggs so i don't have to worry about that lol

 

[Tootsie]

SO for today they are on medicated chick but tomorrow I will try and get something else like a gamebird starter is that right? Would they be OK until Friday on medicated chick because the one place may not have gamebird until then?

I do have electrolytes in the water. One died this afternoon and another was wet (no clue how that happened) so I took them all home put them in my extra bathroom (since there were so many flies in the barn there) and blow dryed that one but I don't think it will make it. At least it is dry and warm now.

 

[txchickie]

Quote:
They should be fine on the medicated chick starter for a few days, but they truly do need the gamebird starter. In my opinion, anyway

As far as a light, it's just like a baby chick. Use the 95deg, falling by 5deg per week until fully feathered (like 6-8 weeks or so).

I turn my guineas out to free range at 6-7ish weeks (depending on the weather) and then they are on their own and get fed in the evenings only. I still feed gamebird feed throughout their lives, but you can feed them chick starter/grower and layer when they begin to lay. Mine like scratch and cracked corn, too, along with their feed.

 

[Aj1911]

Quote:
then i know for a fact that they are not getting enough protein both from free range and feed

no bird should eat they're own eggs period, inless they are scrambled and fed as treats.

 

[Tootsie]

Nobody had anything with high protien so they bought a non medicated 24% protein chick starter that says it is for pheasants, turkeys and chukars but it doesn't say guineas. SHould I use that one and maybe mix in some of my med chick?

They are dropping like flies sadly I think since they were in the box for so many hours before they got to the heat lamp. Out of the 10, only 4 remain.

Any suggestions are welcome.