Yes good point!
(It was threatening rain & dark in the coop early so I left a solar light on so they could eat.)
I take my keets out of the brooder when they are 2 weeks old. They start flying at 2 weeks so I move them to my grow out pen. They still get supplemental at least at night.
Oof, that’s a rough survival rate - 7/20 and 7/44? I don’t worry much about coccidiosis with my own bred/hatched keets as they should have antibodies to our own coccidian strains from the egg. Keets from other farms though may have different species/strains of coccidia so antibodies may be ineffective. Also, I’ve seen pics of Guinea Farms breeding pen where they have them all on elevated wire, so the hens have have little coccidial antibodies generated to pass into their egg.My understanding has always been that they should be ready to leave the brooder/hen at 4 weeks. The other day I was told the norm is 6 wks. Either my memory is going or there's 2 standards. My hatchery birds have always stayed in the brooder longer, given extenuating circumstances (coop not finished, Numi). This gf batch went out at 4 1/2 weeks. Last year, the ones I incubated, I took outside at 3 weeks and the males refused to give them back, so they went out at 3 wks.
Numi's will be 4 weeks Saturday, and they are constantly on the move, up on the roost, have escaped w/the papas for all day field excursions, I haven't seen them huddle under an adult or together at all this week. They're in the thick of things, using their wings. I just looked out there and they're on the roost in the window, 70° out. I do shut the fan off at night, probably ought to go shut that light off.
Neither Mama's nor Numi's hatches were medicated with anything, no vitamins, just startena. Gf's were tx w/corrid and vt b complex (@diff times),leaving 7/20 over the course of one wk. Hoovers didn't get that far, all deaths were within 48 hrs,leaving 7 out of 44.
I've not seen my hatchery birds be unkind to Numi's keets, at one time I think they wanted to jump in and Nanny, but she wasn't having it, only let the jumbos near. Now her keets are under the feet and eating with the gfs- no fear.
So when do you take away the heat? Once they go to the coop, that's it. But in the summer, those coops are quite warm once I close up for the night.
Yep, that 7 out of 44 was when you all inherited me. I had hoped for better outcome this time. @My2butterflies had bad run last year when I was going through the omphalytis hatches, hers arrived on time but over the course of a week she said she was experiencing similar to what mine hatched with; I think she lost 1/2.
I take the heat away once they quit using it. That is when they start spending the nights on their roosts instead of under the heat lamp. Cooler years the heat is on longer than in warmer years but usually by the time they are 4 weeks old.
