keets and a chick?

[farmergal]

Hi all,

I posted this on "Raising Baby Chicks" but then realized I might find more folks who'd raised guineas on this board...

Anyway, yesterday I went to a local craigslister who'd just gotten a big shipment in from Sand Hill. I went there to get 3 guinea keets, and couldn't resist coming home with a little Buff Orp baby who just wouldn't hop off my hand when I picked her up. My question is: was this a mistake? The lady thought that chicks and keets can be raised together, but the keets seem to be pretty different behaviorally (keets are so much more skittish!) and now I'm worried that the little BO might grow up thinking that she's a guinea. I don't want to raise a chicken with "issues"... lol. Can't afford the therapy bills

But seriously, does anyone have any experience with this? Do I need to go back and get another BO? (To the dismay of my SO, who graciously drove me to get yet more birds and swore that was the last of the season's babies?)

One BYCer said that his keets started pecking his chicks. Do I need to separate them?

Thanks for the help!!!

 

[feathersgalore]

I keep my chickens and guineas together (but haven't brooded them together). I brood separately because the guineas need a higher protein feed. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

 

[birdlover]

I remember reading on here once where someone who had keets and chicks together was dealing with the keets biting off the chicks' beaks, believe it or not. If it were me, I wouldn't raise them together in the same brooder box but that's just me.

 

[sweetshoplady]

Three chicks came with my guinea keets from Ideal. I just left them together. The three little red roos run around all day with the guineas, and try to keep up (they don't fly as well). They think they're supposed to be together.

As these little packing peanuts are destined for the stew pot, I didn't worry that they were getting the gamebird starter.

 

[farmergal]

Has anyone fed keets on a chick starter all the way through? Will they be okay, or will they end up stunted/sickly? I have a "flock raiser" that's supposed to be okay for different types of birds... I wonder if that would work?

 

[sweetshoplady]

I would think that if the package says its ok for all birds it should be. My keets ate layer feed. You can always add some protein, yogurt, eggs. My flock likes horse feed, oats and sweet feed goes out and eats what the horses drop (sloppy eaters). I think meal worms and other bugs are high in protein as well.

What colors of guineas did you get? I think the guineas are fun.

 

[swampducks]

I raised my keets and guineas together, I used chick starter and now and then threw in some higher protein chick starter. Tractor Supply's Dumor has 24% unmedicated chick starter. Otherwise, my local feed store medicated chick starter is only 20%.

Everyone is fine 10 weeks later.

 

[farmergal]

I got Pearls... the woman selling them had corals, but only 2 (they were so cute! little lavendar-colored babies) and I wanted a better chance of getting both sexes, so I got 3 pearls instead.