Guinea keets like turkey poults need a higher percent protein than can be found in 20% chick starter. The following was posted by PeepsCA on 6/12/2011 and is still very good advice today:
"I've answered this question on this forum time and time again, only to have people argue with me that their keets do fine on chick starter. So I am posting it here in hopes of educating people that Guinea Fowl have different nutritional needs than chickens do, from keet all the way up to adult age.
What do you feed keets? Do they get medicated crumbles or just plain crumbles, or do they need the higher protein game starter crumbles?
I have always fed mine regular chick feed. That may not be the best though.
No, it's not the best... and yes they DO need a higher protein starter feed. Many people get away with raising their keets on it but chick starter does not have enough protein in it for the keets to develop at the proper rate. Guinea fowl keets should be fed a higher protein Turkey, Game Bird or Pheasant starter feed containig between 25%-30% protein (27-28% is the best), medicated with Amproium until they are 6-8 wks old, then they should be gradually/slowly switched over to a grower feed or flock raiser with no less than 20% protein in it until they are 12 wks old. After that their main diet can be switched over to an all purpose poultry feed or a layer feed containing between 16%-18% protein. 16% protein is the absolute minimum adult Guineas should be fed as a main diet.
I really wish people would stop suggesting chick starter feeds and chick grower feeds for raising Guinea Fowl keets on, because it's not the correct feed for them if you want them to grow and develop at the proper rate (feathers, bones, muscles and organs etc). I always compare feeding chick starter to keets with feeding little kids twinkies and soda pop, yes they do still grow and develop (always slower than the rest of the kids, and usually with developing health issues later on in life because of it), it's just not healthy and it doesn't meet their nutritional needs! Guinea Fowl keets are not chickens, they develop at a completely different rate and have completely different nutritional needs, they need more protein than chickens do... I cannot stress this enough.
Scratch and grains/seeds like wild birds seeds and millet should be given as a treat only after they are older, and only in small amounts, all of these feeds are way too high in fats and sugars and do not have enough protein in them to be their staple diet. They can develop major health issues from being fed incorrectly, and will never live up to their full potential as they will if fed correctly from day one.
Please, anyone getting Guineas Fowl or already currently owning Guinea Fowl and you really do care about your birds' health - do your homework and read up on their nutritional needs! If you don't agree with what I've posted here, then contact a major Guinea Fowl breeder and ask them what THEY feed their keets and Guineas.
No, it's not the best... and yes they DO need a higher protein starter feed. Many people get away with raising their keets on it but chick starter does not have enough protein in it for the keets to develop at the proper rate. Guinea fowl keets should be fed a higher protein Turkey, Game Bird or Pheasant starter feed containig between 25%-30% protein (27-28% is the best), medicated with Amproium until they are 6-8 wks old, then they should be gradually/slowly switched over to a grower feed or flock raiser with no less than 20% protein in it until they are 12 wks old. After that their main diet can be switched over to an all purpose poultry feed or a layer feed containing between 16%-18% protein. 16% protein is the absolute minimum adult Guineas should be fed as a main diet.
I really wish people would stop suggesting chick starter feeds and chick grower feeds for raising Guinea Fowl keets on, because it's not the correct feed for them if you want them to grow and develop at the proper rate (feathers, bones, muscles and organs etc). I always compare feeding chick starter to keets with feeding little kids twinkies and soda pop, yes they do still grow and develop (always slower than the rest of the kids, and usually with developing health issues later on in life because of it), it's just not healthy and it doesn't meet their nutritional needs! Guinea Fowl keets are not chickens, they develop at a completely different rate and have completely different nutritional needs, they need more protein than chickens do... I cannot stress this enough.
Scratch and grains/seeds like wild birds seeds and millet should be given as a treat only after they are older, and only in small amounts, all of these feeds are way too high in fats and sugars and do not have enough protein in them to be their staple diet. They can develop major health issues from being fed incorrectly, and will never live up to their full potential as they will if fed correctly from day one.
Please, anyone getting Guineas Fowl or already currently owning Guinea Fowl and you really do care about your birds' health - do your homework and read up on their nutritional needs! If you don't agree with what I've posted here, then contact a major Guinea Fowl breeder and ask them what THEY feed their keets and Guineas.
Edited by PeepsCA - 6/12/11 at 9:50am"
I have read before that if you can't get a higher percent protein than regular chick starter that you can supplement it by crumbling hard boiled eggs.
Good luck with your keets and if you really want to learn about guineas, read the posts made by PeepsCA
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/84252/peepsca
Good luck with your keets.
