Is chicken starter bad for keets? Wing clipping tips?

[N. Virginia]

Hi All:
I have I have 9 chickens and 3 keets, eating chicken starter and occasional scratch & fruit. They all seem fine, but I read here that keets need their own food. If so, where do I put it that the chickens don't eat it?

Also, my keets are really flying, even though I clipped their wings on one side - the bunch of feathers closest to their bodies. I dont' yet have my permanent chicken run with covered top up yet, so they are in a safe horse stall and attached horse paddock with TB fencing and chicken wire - around 5.5 feet tall, so I would prefer that the keets don't fly away. Up to now they just fly up to the top of the fence & then back down into the paddock.

Should I clip more feathers? Exactly where?

Thanks much,
N. VA

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I have raised Baby Chicks and Keets on both Chick Starter and Gamebird Crumbles. The Gamebird Crumbles are higher in protein, alot of people like to raise their baby chickens on Gamebird Crumbles. If you want to switch over to Gamebird Crumbles then both your chicks and keets can eat it.

No matter if you clip the guinea's wings, they can still fly.

I've clipped chickens wings and they can still fly so ...

 

[Terri O]

In order to keep them from flying you have to clip the FLIGHT feathers which are the ones farthest out on the wing. If you clip both sides you will ground them...if only one they will be lopsided and can sometimes learn to compensate by using the tail feathers.
Just clip the outside 5 or 6 feathers down to the secondary layer. Be sure not to clip any that have blood in them. You will need to reclip after each molt-2x a year. Terri O

 

[N. Virginia]

Thanks! Someone had told me to clip the little feathers near their body, so now I know - big feathers, no blood. And I'll switch over to Gamebird crumbles.
Cheers,
N. VA

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