Guniea Keets Keep Dying on Me....Help!

[juls_farm]

I adamantly agree with the above advice on using old towels instead of chips/shavings/hay as bedding for several weeks until keets are older.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm raising Guinea Keets for the first time, & they already graduated outside.

I never had any of the problems stated.
I used wood chips, large flake pine shavings, & they never ate any of it.

Heating process I use is a Mother Hen Heating Plate which maintains a temperature of about 98.5 degrees, & has adjustable legs to raise it up every week to wean them off the heating plate faster then a heat lamp.

Feed I used 24% chick starter feed for Game Birds, & baby chickens plus a Ration called Farmers Helper Ultra Kibble, I think it's almost 40% protein. It's also full of essential vitamins, & minerals. I fed them with the ration mixed in for about 3 weeks, then I weaned them off of it.

Their now outside with a supplemental heat lamp for chilly nights, will be removing the lamp once nights get warmer which is getting pretty close.

Water needs to be at their level.

 

[R2elk]

I used wood chips, large flake pine shavings, & they never ate any of it.

Then you were very lucky.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Then you were very lucky.

Or, they were smart enough to know where their food is.
I showed them as a group with finger motions like pecking motions in their feed, & they caught right on it.
Like teaching baby chicks, but with guineas instead.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I recently got 16 keets. Had them on pine flake with a heat plate. They are 10 days old today, and I have lost 1 to pasty butt/impaction.. That was on day 6. I did have two others with pasty butt that I treated and they are fine now. If I ever got keets again, I would certainly keep them on paper towel for at least the first week. Even though I only ended up losing one, I think that one was probably lost due to eating the flakes. It is also much easier to monitor the little guys on the paper towel. I'm pretty much a newbie, but this has been my experience so far. Now that they are 10 days old, they all seem to be thriving on the flakes and there was not a single pasty butt as of yesterday's brooder clean.

 

[Anita Scott]

I use paper towels for the first week or so. Easy to clean up and they get a grip for their fragile legs.
Don’t use medicated chick food. You can try a little hard boiled eggs mashed up for extra protein.
I have a gallon jug lid in my keets right now filled with rocks and water, so they don’t drown. They are running right over it without getting wet. They get their food all over the place so I put the food on the opposite side of the water so it doesn’t get wet.
As far as heat lamp, if they are moving around and chirping, they are fine. If they are huddled up together, they need a little more heat, just move it closer or put a towel over their box. I used to worry, but the babies will let you know, better than any thermometer.
I have a styrofoam cooler lined with silver bubble wrap. They like the shiny and it keeps it warmer. I will move them to a larger box after a few days. My brooder is already full with chicks and poults.