hay for keet bedding

[Ariesmom]

Is my horse hay ok for bedding for my 15 4 day old keets? I tried brown paper bags and all it did was cause spraddle legs on one ( he now has a bandaid brace ) and then I switched to towels which was causing pasty butts since it didn't absorb but rather caked on top of it. I put them on some hay and I do notice them pecking at the seeded ends a bit but not seeing them break any off to eat HOWEVER I do notice some of them looking like they are yawning over and over. Is this a crop problem starting or is it a normal behavior for guineas? Never had any before and I hear they are fragile for the first 2 weeks. They are lively and eating/drinking and very skittish! Just wondering if this is normal or something to be concerned over. They are also like weeble wobbles falling over easily....do they all act this clumsy?

 

[PeepsCA]

If they were my keets I'd be worried that they are eating the seeded ends of the hay, so you may want to get them some chick grit right away or switch the bedding out to plain straw, or even dried pine needles if you have pine trees in your area. Yawning is normal for keets, but it's also normal if they have a crop full of something they can't grind up and digest... so keep an eye on them. Impaction can take a couple days to show signs of being a problem... but feel their crops, if you feel anything beside starter feed in there you ma want to offer them some finely grated carrots and a little molasses. But again, they will still need the grit. Pet stores carry small grit for caged birds that will work, but you don't want the kind with oyster shell in it.

 

[Wayne]

NO Oyster shell ? Just purchased a 50 lb bag....chicks and 8 week old keets are together, I guess I could feed it to the chicks if I am able to ever separate them.

 

[silkiechicken]

Grit is for digestion, oyster shell is for when they start laying eggs. The hens will eat oyster shell for calcium on the side, just put it in a dish and they should eat it if they need it. If they have free run of soil or dirt outside, they can eat up their own grit.

 

[trailchick]

WELCOME TO BYC, WAYNE!!
Just save that oyster shell for later
when the birds are older.....

Ariesmom,
I use alfalfa because I have also, for the horses.
The chicks do eat up some of the flake & it normally
doesn't have much seed stem. Others also have used hay,
straw, & pine shavings, for the floor of the brooder.

I also have a new group of keets & never had them before.....
I picked mine up Sunday, & vary in age now from 6-10 days old.
They are so cute.

 

[PeepsCA]

Guineas don't need oyster shell until they are done with their growth spurts and close to laying age. I do not provide it to my young flocks any earlier than 12-14 wks old, but my adults have free choice to it year round. I definitely do not use alfalfa hay for young keets, it's high in calcium too. There's also a risk of them eating too much alfalfa leaf and getting impacted on that as well

It's best to use bedding the keets can't eat for at least the first 2 weeks.They are curious and will eat anything they can fit in their beaks. In the meantime you want them to learn to eat their starter feed well and only their starter feed, so that when you finally DO move them onto new a new type of bedding they know what's food and what's bedding, and then the risk of impaction is much lower.