I have keets coming in Wed.....what do I need to know?

[SassyKat6181]

Does the heat lamp work the same as with chicks/ducks....start at 95 and decrease 5 each week?
I have the chicks, chickens and ducks on Blue Seal gamebird starter/grower....can they eat this also?
I am planning on raising them in a stall in our barn, so they will know this as their "safe place" and hopefully return each night. How long should I keep them cooped before letting them out to free range? Do I give them a few hours a day, or just open the door?
Please add in any other suggestions. Thanks!

 

[cracking up]

The heat lamp works the same and while they're hardier when grown they're susceptible to chilling when they are little. I started mine on turkey or game bird starter but you can use chick starter for the first week or two. Keep them cooped until they're about half grown and fully feathered. After that you can open the door and let them take their time coming out of the coop. Some take a while and others go out right away. Some people only let a couple out in the beginning. When you're getting them used to coming back to the coop only feed them in the coop.

Good luck. I hope you like them.

 

[PeepsCA]

Turkey/Pheasant/Game Bird Starter Crumbles – Medicated with Amprolium is a better diet for keets, they need higher protein than chicks do to develop at the right rate (around 28% is considered the best choice by many).

Scroll down thru the Guinea Fowl index, there's some recent posts about when to let keets out to free range.

If you are getting day old keets... make sure their brooder has good footing for them to walk on from the very first day, because if they slip around a lot (like on newspaper) they can end up with splayed legs or slipped tendons. I use rubberized shelf liner, old towels or textured paper towels for the first couple days (change/clean often) and then I change them to grass hay or straw and eventually change them to shavings by the end of the week of not sooner. You son't want to use shavings too soon, or they may eat too much of it and die from it. If there's a chance they can drown in their waterer, I'd add marbles or clean stones to it.

Maybe others have more suggestions.

Congrats on your babies

Post pics if you can!