Hurt keets

[GuineaFowling]

It depends entirely on where you live. If you live in a colder climate than you'll need to increase the heat. Your keets seem fine to me they do enjoy sleeping piled up they dont just do it because they are cold. If they are cold they will fluff their feathers.

 

[Mistahbue]

Thanks - they do seem to be doing A-OK.

We put in a paint paddle across the box for a roost - took a few hours but they decided they liked it. Now I find anywhere from 2-5 sitting on it at a time - observing flight practice. One thing I noticed last evening -- a few of them fell asleep on the roost and sat there with their heads dropped down - I watched to make sure they were breathing. Craziest thing I've seen them do yet. Finally one of the larger ones figured out how to tuck it's neck back under or near a wing.

These were all supposed to be from the same hatch but I believe I have a few that are several days ahead of some of the others.

Next housing phase is in process. We are taking two screen doors and putting on a frame so that I can have a tray to remove for cleaning. The top will be hinged ply so that I can raise one side at a time. Also will be tall and wide enough that I should be able to make use of the screened over lattice (currently the top of their brood box areas) as a divider or restraint while cleaning.

They will be 5 weeks old on August 28th. I am seriously torn about moving the new housing to the pole barn or keeping on the back deck - sitting on saw horses or something similar. I have grown so fond of these guys I really am being a helicopter guinea mom I suppose. I just don't like the idea of them being in the pole barn yet. Since I'm in north central MN I know we have cool enough nights to require probably 2 heat lamps once I get them outside.

I also like being able to check on them during the night to make sure no one has crash landed during flight take off.

How does one put on the big girl panties and get ready to let the first batch start being less house bound? LOL You'd think that I would have made cuddle bugs out of them by now but haven't been able to hold any of them longer than 5 seconds and now with they move so fast I'm afraid to keep grabbing for them for fear of giving them a heart failure.

 

[GuineaFowling]

I know what you mean, I get so attached to my babies. What I did for my keets was move them out into a rabbit hutch in my patio after they were about a month old. I only had five so it worked well for the time being but I had to quickly move them out to the coop. I live in California so it is getting hotter here as the years pass so I dont worry about heat lamps at night unless it is in the fall or winter. I place a thick cloth over the hutch for them. My guineas keets where very attached to my family and myself, they loved sitting on our shoulders at night and hanging there heads down (as you described your keets doing when sleeping on the roost, its so odd), so when the move to patio came they were very whiny and disliked it. They wanted to roam in the house, such silly birds. When I moved them to the coop they hated it even more than the patio and actually anted to return to the patio since it was closer to us. They eventually adjusted and were very happy when the free ranging began.
It all depends on what you want. If you want them closer to you then you can keep them closer or if you feel its time for the pole barn than go ahead and do it. Just make sure everything is predator proof. You can also place a heat lamp or two and if they are cold they will huddle under it.
Also, might I suggest that you handle your keets more. I only had five and a big family that always handled them so my keets were very attached and tame. Don't worry about them struggling they'll realize you mean no harm. Feed them treats from your hands and let them out of the brood and just allow them to sit on your shoulder or in your lap(I always had some paper or something so if they pooed it wasn't on me).