guinea question

[alwayswantedchicks]

I realize this is a chicken forum but I'm hoping someone can
help with a guinea keet issue. At 7 this morning we got our call from the post office that our guinea keets were ready for pickup. My husband rushed over to pick them up while I prepared their water and heated up the brooder. He didn't open the box until he got home at around 7:45. We opened the box and took them out one at a time giving them sugar water and then placing them in the brooder with a waterer of the same with marbles in it. Of the 32 keets in the box, 8 were cold dead in the bottom of the box and one more just died in my hand within the last 10 minutes. It kept falling over on it's back and was more wobbly. It drank ok. I picked it up to check it and try more water and it seemed to be gasping and just went still. We called the hatchery yesterday to check on the shipment and they said they were mailed Monday afternoon. This is Wednesday morning. Isn't it unusual to have that many DOA? Any suggestions? I took off work to be able to assure them a good start. I got 21 baby chicks last March and they all survived and are thriving.

 

[chickensioux]

I'm not sure if Keets are more fragile than chicks but they sound like they had a rough ship. It's not unusual to have some loss but yours does sound like quite a few more than usual. Hopefully the hatchery will replace or reimburse for your loss. I would just make sure the others get plenty of water and eat. Put some sugar, molasses or gatorade in the water for extra energy and keep an eye on them. Hopefully they will start to flourish for you.
Good luck with the rest. Keets are so cute.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Hi,

I have found keets to be much more hardy than chicks. Were these day-olds that were shipped to you?

I have been having keets hatch out for the past six days straight. Due to having to open the incubator, I started having some problems with humidity and the chicks not being able to get out of their shells. So I did something I don't normally do and I helped them a bit. Out of 45 or so keets know, I only lost two. One died after being placed in the brooder. Not sure why. One died in the shell because I let him go too long without helping it. That's when I figured out that they weren't getting enough humidity because they were sticking to the shells and not being able to break out.

My suggestion is to keep an eye on them. By now the sugar water should be having a good affect. You might also try adding a little ACV or Rooster Booster and I would definitely have some good high-protein Gamebird Feeder down so they can get to it for a day or two. Then you can just put a small feeder in the brooder and they should be fine.

Hope that helps.

God Bless,

 

[mypicklebird]

I have read that keets are very sensitive to getting wet. I was told that in areas with dew on the grass, this can kill them when they are out with a hen. The ones I have raised from incubated eggs did not seem more fragile than chicken chicks, and they did not keel over when they splashed thought the waterers. My guess is that they got chilled (or overheated) at some point- or the box got tossed around or was on end, and some got crushed under the others.

 

[alwayswantedchicks]

Hey everyone, Thanks for the feedback. This is Friday morning. I'm just getting ready to call the hatchery back. They said to call them on Friday to let them know of any additional losses. We got the keets Wednesday morning, by Thursday morning at 6 am 20 of the 32 had died. The remaining 12 (which are the 12 I felt would make it) seem to be thriving. I'm guessing the trip was just too hard on them. This is such a huge loss, I'm wondering how the hatchery will respond to this many dead. I'm afraid to get them to send more new babies as again the trip may just be too hard (Ohio to VA). I'm wondering about getting eggs and hatching my own. Any thoughts?

 

[Intheswamp]

Just curious...which hatchery and where are you located? It seems like it's been mighty hot down here in Dixie for shipping live critters, though this week has been slightly cooler than last week.

Best wishes for "the dirty dozen", sounds like a tough bunch!

Ed

 

[alwayswantedchicks]

I got my babies from Meyers in Ohio. Just talked to them - very nice to deal with. 'Donna' was very sympathetic and seemed to think the trip must have been rough. How can they afford to handle these kind of losses regularly or is this unusually strange? I asked that question, and she was very nice, said that they only have the postal service for shipping options, and being live babies, sometimes lose them in the shipping process and/or shortly after. I asked her if I should try again or try incubating eggs but that I don't have an incubator and she didn't seem keen on that idea. So I opted to try live keets again instead of trying to get an incubator...
They will be shipped the 13th with expected delivery on the 15th. I'll be at the post office with warmed sugar water in hand and a cozy clean and bigger box than they arrive in before the post office calls the cellphone so maybe we can shorten the time they have to be in the box at the post office. I don't know, I wonder if I go over to the post office before then and talk to them. Maybe the keets arrived at our post office in the night and sat in a storage room until they felt they could call me (a 'decent hour'). Maybe I could get them to call me as soon as they get them, no matter what time it is. I called them ahead of time this last time and they called at about 5 after 7 in the morning. My husband was there and back home with them within 45 minutes. He didn't open the box at the post office though. I always warm my babies water (like an human baby). I figure it's not good for human babies to get cold liquids till their bodies can handle it. I make mush out of their feed for the first few days to a week to give their little systems a chance to mature. I watch over them like crazy without holding them much though when they are real little. Just as needed to check butts and stuff. I'm a 'clean freak' when it comes to my chicks. I wash their feeders and waterers at night after they go to 'bed' and start fresh each morning. I change out their water to freshen at least 3-4 times a day...more when it's hot out. I clean their coop often (others say too often), I rake their enclosed pen area (800 sq') to keep the grass areas 'fluffy'. It does seem to make a difference. They have a great dusting area and get lots of extra priveliges. My chickens are healthy, happy and spoiled. They come when called. Their coop is elevated 2' to give them space underneath for hanging out when it's hot or raining without having to go inside. Part of their pen is covered for shade and dry area also. They get plenty of greens, extra veggies from the garden, plenty of bugs and always have feed in their feeders. So far we haven't lost a single chick so the keets dying has been tough. I'll go since I'm really rambling on. Thanks again for any advice and input. I read and pay close attention to all advice. I keep posted to progress.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Hi Always,

Just a couple of quick things. Anytime you have live chicks (or even hatching eggs) arriving, I would suggest you call the Post Office and let them know to call you as soon as they arrive so you can come pick them up. Even in the case where you have a postman deliver to your door. Often time can be a crucial factor.

Secondly, I just hatched 50 some guineas. They were relatively easy but they do have much thicker shells and while I don't increase the humidity for my chicken eggs, I would recommend doing so - especially the last couple of days before they hatch - so they can get out of there shells easier. Normally I don't help chicks out of the shell but after leaving one in the shell overnight and then died because it didn't get all the way out, I started helping them out of the shell until I could get the humidity up. Of course opening the door to the incubator doesn't help keep the humidity up but out of over 50 eggs, I only lost the one that never made it out of the shell and one other that died the day after it was born for some unknown reason.

Like chicks, keets can live for 2-3 days off the yolks they absorb before hatching. Our keets were eating normal chick starter for the first several days because I had them in a brooder with my Ameraucanas. Then after about 3-4 days, we separated them out and have them on Gamebird Flight Developer. They have no problems eating out of a feeder but it doesn't hurt to spread some feed down on a towel or something for the first few days.

It sounds like you're taking really good care of them. In fact, you really don't need to chang their water out 3-4 times a day. I like to make sure my feeders and waterers stay clean but that's overkill to me. I would suggest adding a little Rooster Booster or ACV to their water when they're young. I think that makes a difference.

Sounds like you're doing a great job. Hope things go better with this next batch.

God Bless,