Guinea keet care

[Sydstallion147]

Hi all! We are planning on getting some guinea keets this spring to eventually help with the ticks and bugs. It seems that there are very few guides about raising them so I am confused about how exactly to care for them. What did you'all do for your guinea keets? I am wondering about the brooder (I read they shouldnt have hay/straw or shavings for brooder bedding?), if they can be raised with chicks, and if they can eat a high protein chick feed instead of turkey/gamebird starter which is very hard to find near me unless it is fairly expensive. Thanks for your help

 

[FBCMarans]

Hi all! We are planning on getting some guinea keets this spring to eventually help with the ticks and bugs. It seems that there are very few guides about raising them so I am confused about how exactly to care for them. What did you'all do for your guinea keets? I am wondering about the brooder (I read they shouldnt have hay/straw or shavings for brooder bedding?), if they can be raised with chicks, and if they can eat a high protein chick feed instead of turkey/gamebird starter which is very hard to find near me unless it is fairly expensive. Thanks for your help

I raised 9 Keets last year but I got them when they were about a week old.
I raised them with 7 chicks. they ate what the chicks got which was a 20% protein scratch and peck feed.
I start them on paper towel till there legs are stronger then put pine shavings down.
Dried meal worms are the best way to go when you want tame keets.
I really like Guineas, and if your okay with there noise you should get some.


I hope I answered your Questions.

,
Gabe

 

[R2elk]

Hi all! We are planning on getting some guinea keets this spring to eventually help with the ticks and bugs. It seems that there are very few guides about raising them so I am confused about how exactly to care for them. What did you'all do for your guinea keets? I am wondering about the brooder (I read they shouldnt have hay/straw or shavings for brooder bedding?), if they can be raised with chicks, and if they can eat a high protein chick feed instead of turkey/gamebird starter which is very hard to find near me unless it is fairly expensive. Thanks for your help

Read the Raising Guinea Fowl 101 thread and pay particular attention to post made by @PeepsCA

Keets can survive on chick starter but will never reach their full potential and may have problems later in life because of it. They need the high protein to keep up with their very high metabolism and the proper growth of their internal organs.

I raise chicks and keets together. When I do, both the chicks and the keets get 28% protein turkey/gamebird starter followed by 24% protein turkey/gamebird grower. The high protein does not hurt the chicks and really helps the keets.

I use sand as bedding for all of my poultry. Keets should be kept off of pine shavings for at least their first two weeks. If you use anything edible as bedding (keets' ideas of what is edible is not likely to agree with what you think is edible) then you must supply them with an appropriate sized grit. This is one of the reasons that I prefer sand as bedding because it also serves as a very fine grit. Of course since I live on a sand dune, the sand is free for me.

 

[Sydstallion147]

Thank you all for the advice! we plan on getting Royal purple guinea keets in June so now I have plenty of time to look for a good turkey starter for them. Thanks for the help