I'm not going to survive through raising these babies

[R2elk]

So many Guinea people have said no to shavings at this age and that they'll eat them and no to sand because they'll eat it

They will eat the shavings and cannot digest them unless provided with appropriate sized grit.

I use sand for my brooder bedding because I live on a sand dune. If you use sand for bedding, make sure it is a coarse sand. Really fine sand can plug them up but coarse sand can serve as grit.

my Guinea keets all have poop-caked feet and cleaning then it's so stressful on the birds and me. Today, two of the keets had pasty butt and by the time I was finished cleaning the tiny kid who isn't really growing,

Guinea keets are horrible about keeping their feet clean. Using a big brooder with lots os extra space can help by eliminating the density of their droppings. If using sand like I do, a person can keep adding a little more sand to keep the droppings mostly covered.

I only clean their feet when moving them out of the brooder whether it be transferring them to their new owners or moving them to the grow out pen. Less stress on the keets.

Pasty butt can be an indication that they are being kept too hot or just a stress result from shipping.

I do not wash the pasty butt off. I will pluck it when it is dry. Yes it does pull out the fluff when I do this. The benefit of plucking the fluff with it is that the fluff is no longer there to gather the drippings. I rarely have to do repeated cleanings.

 

[R2elk]

I would like to try taking them outside and I think I'll try to figure that out. They didn't get coccidia vaccine (wasn't offered by the hatchery) and I couldn't find medicated game starter that I have to feed for the Guineas, so I've been worried to expose them to too much, too quickly. If it was just the chicks on the pads, I think I'd be golden. The chicks' feet look clean. It's just those silly keets!

Medicated game bird or turkey starter can be hard to source. Most contain amprolium. Amprolium and Corid are the same thiing. They work by blocking thiamine. Keets need thiamine for proper development. Unless you see signs of coccidiosis, do not use a coccidiostat on a regular basis.

 

[SplendidDogFeet]

They will eat the shavings and cannot digest them unless provided with appropriate sized grit.

I use sand for my brooder bedding because I live on a sand dune. If you use sand for bedding, make sure it is a coarse sand. Really fine sand can plug them up but coarse sand can serve as grit.

Guinea keets are horrible about keeping their feet clean. Using a big brooder with lots os extra space can help by eliminating the density of their droppings. If using sand like I do, a person can keep adding a little more sand to keep the droppings mostly covered.

I only clean their feet when moving them out of the brooder whether it be transferring them to their new owners or moving them to the grow out pen. Less stress on the keets.

Pasty butt can be an indication that they are being kept too hot or just a stress result from shipping.

I do not wash the pasty butt off. I will pluck it when it is dry. Yes it does pull out the fluff when I do this. The benefit of plucking the fluff with it is that the fluff is no longer there to gather the drippings. I rarely have to do repeated cleanings.

Since I truly believe the problem is coming from where they sleep at night, I think I may follow your lead and maybe come up with a way to do sand under the brooder plate. Unless I wake them up in the middle of the night to do a cleaning then, I don't see any way to cut down the amount of droppings and everyone is together under that 16" square.

 

[R2elk]

Since I truly believe the problem is coming from where they sleep at night, I think I may follow your lead and maybe come up with a way to do sand under the brooder plate. Unless I wake them up in the middle of the night to do a cleaning then, I don't see any way to cut down the amount of droppings and everyone is together under that 16" square.

All poultry tend to defecate while on their roosts. There is no reason to doubt your belief of where the problem is happening.

 

[Whittni]

Keets are literally HORRIBLE to raise. They always make chicks raised with them spooky and bad with human keepers. Don't sweat it too bad. Chickens are 1000% better than guineas, especially when rearing chicks.

 

[SplendidDogFeet]

Medicated game bird or turkey starter can be hard to source. Most contain amprolium. Amprolium and Corid are the same thiing. They work by blocking thiamine. Keets need thiamine for proper development. Unless you see signs of I'm coccidiosis, do not use a coccidiostat on a regular basis.

Do you think it's wise to give them outside time since they haven't been vaccinated and aren't on amprolium, or am I just risking early overexposure to cocci? We've had a lot of rain over the past few months and it's getting up in the nineties during the day. I'm happy to try to figure out a safe way to give them outside time if it will make them stronger/healthier, but if it isn't safe, I'll just enlarge their pen earlier than I had planned and try to add more enrichment.

 

[SplendidDogFeet]

Keets are literally HORRIBLE to raise. They always make chicks raised with them spooky and bad with human keepers. Don't sweat it too bad. Chickens are 1000% better than guineas, especially when rearing chicks.

My keets have been very interactive with me so far. They all eat out of my hands and climb on them and the runt tries to burrow and rubs it's little face and beak all over my hand when I cover it with my hand for warmth. My chicks are the first out to see me when I come in, but they definitely all come out pretty quickly.

 

[Whittni]

Do you think it's wise to give them outside time since they haven't been vaccinated and aren't on amprolium, or am I just risking early overexposure to cocci? We've had a lot of rain over the past few months and it's getting up in the nineties during the day. I'm happy to try to figure out a safe way to give them outside time if it will make them stronger/healthier, but if it isn't safe, I'll just enlarge their pen earlier than I had planned and try to add more enrichment.

Cocci is usually an issue with build up in your actual brooder. Letting your chicks/keets out will help spread their droppings away from concentrate within your brooder. It's fine as long as it's a secure pen that is predator proof and where you can catch the babies again if needed, and has both sunny and shady parts. People don't say it much here, but you don't really need heat past like 2 weeks if it's summer and you have 15+ chicks. Heat plates are also better and more natural. Apple cider vinegar into the water will help with pasty butt. Like 4 tablespoons per gal.

 

[Whittni]

That's a wonderful and rare experience!

My keets have been very interactive with me so far. They all eat out of my hands and climb on them and the runt tries to burrow and rubs it's little face and beak all over my hand when I cover it with my hand for warmth. My chicks are the first out to see me when I come in, but they definitely all come out pretty quickly.View attachment 3867330View attachment 3867331

 

[R2elk]

Do you think it's wise to give them outside time since they haven't been vaccinated and aren't on amprolium, or am I just risking early overexposure to cocci? We've had a lot of rain over the past few months and it's getting up in the nineties during the day. I'm happy to try to figure out a safe way to give them outside time if it will make them stronger/healthier, but if it isn't safe, I'll just enlarge their pen earlier than I had planned and try to add more enrichment.

It depends where you are. I have never had any problems with coccidia here. I have never known anyone who had their keets vaccinated for anything and I have never fed mine any medicated feed.

If you live where coccidia is a problem, keep Corid on hand and use it per the directions when needed and only when needed.