Keets arrived from Guinea Farm of Iowa. Pics included.

[Bicoastal]

Keets turned 4wk Tuesday and celebrated by moving outside. Lowest temp under lamp, which is dimmed to about 50%, has been 68 degrees but they seemed comfortable and were roosting, not piled up. Heat plate is also available.

I think the heat plate is similar to a nipple waterer: they will use it if they must but if there is an easier alternative (the lamp), they will choose that.

At last night’s check, they were not roosting like big kids but zonked out on the floor like little babies. Adorable.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Keets turned 4wk Tuesday and celebrated by moving outside. Lowest temp under lamp, which is dimmed to about 50%, has been 68 degrees but they seemed comfortable and were roosting, not piled up. Heat plate is also available.

I think the heat plate is similar to a nipple waterer: they will use it if they must but if there is an easier alternative (the lamp), they will choose that.

At last night’s check, they were not roosting like big kids but zonked out on the floor like little babies. Adorable.

Awww! They are beautiful!

 

[Bicoastal]

Keets are 5wo yesterday. I turn the heat lamp off during the day. Next week I’m considering springing them from the pen and letting them have free run of the entire coop; there are no resident fowl to worry about.

They chow down on chick grit like it’s candy. Still not fans of mealworms. I can’t find millet at my local TSC. Where do folks buy that? I’d like some treat to get them to come when called.

 

[Sydney65]

Keets are 5wo yesterday. I turn the heat lamp off during the day. Next week I’m considering springing them from the pen and letting them have free run of the entire coop; there are no resident fowl to worry about.

They chow down on chick grit like it’s candy. Still not fans of mealworms. I can’t find millet at my local TSC. Where do folks buy that? I’d like some treat to get them to come when called.

I can't find it alone locally on it's own, get it at Amazon.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Keets are 5wo yesterday. I turn the heat lamp off during the day. Next week I’m considering springing them from the pen and letting them have free run of the entire coop; there are no resident fowl to worry about.

They chow down on chick grit like it’s candy. Still not fans of mealworms. I can’t find millet at my local TSC. Where do folks buy that? I’d like some treat to get them to come when called.

Beautiful birds! Keep trying with the mealworms, mine fo nuts for dried mealworms and yours should get it eventually. I get white millet from our local feed mill. It’s popular for bird feeders.

 

[Bicoastal]

Update at 10 weeks old. Though I still can’t find millet, these guys are very friendly. When they find me outside, they come flying-running and chatter all around me. I’m guessing demanding food though it’s the same buckwheat alarm sound.

I must have A LOT of females because it’s a chorus of buckwheats.

My biggest problem is chasing them off the front porch. They have had a couple parties on the sofa there and trashed it. Washed all the cushion covers and now the outdoor sofa is covered in tarps. Classy.

I kept a lot of keets in a coloring that looked like teddy bear hamsters. As adolescents, they just look dirty. Far from my fav color. I also hung on to too many white keets to see if they would grow out actually white or some of the really light blues. Here are a couple pics so folks can see how the colors are turning out.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Update at 10 weeks old. Though I still can’t find millet, these guys are very friendly. When they find me outside, they come flying-running and chatter all around me. I’m guessing demanding food though it’s the same buckwheat alarm sound.

I must have A LOT of females because it’s a chorus of buckwheats.

My biggest problem is chasing them off the front porch. They have had a couple parties on the sofa there and trashed it. Washed all the cushion covers and now the outdoor sofa is covered in tarps. Classy.

I kept a lot of keets in a coloring that looked like teddy bear hamsters. As adolescents, they just look dirty. Far from my fav color. I also hung on to too many white keets to see if they would grow out actually white or some of the really light blues. Here are a couple pics so folks can see how the colors are turning out.

Awwww, cute crew! Which are the teddy bears and which are the “dirty” ones? I think I’m seeing violet, Slate, coral blue, pied Coral blue (very pretty), pinto, maybe chocolate. Did you end up with a sky blue? In the second pic, maybe the one over on the upper left with its back to the camera?

 

[Bicoastal]

I think it was the ones circled in red that were teddy bear hamsters. Brown with white shoulders.

Check out the super fancy one in blue! Blue and pied.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I think it was the ones circled in red that were teddy bear hamsters. Brown with white shoulders.

Check out the super fancy one in blue! Blue and pied.

Are the red circled ones chocolates? Can’t see the pattern that well but the blue circle looks like a pied lavender or coral blue! Both very pretty!

 

[Bicoastal]

My first injury. Coral blue pied hen with injured leg or toe after a misadventure on the coop roof and she crash landed. Now in a 36” dog crate with a companion inside the coop.

I’m thinking crate rest for 10-14 days but my crate may be too large and allow too much mobility. Hard to balance mental health and physical health.

I haven’t examined anything. I just noticed her limping the day after the misadventure so I caught her off the roost this morning and crated her.

My birds are not like @Sydney65 . There will be no calm epsom soaks or gentle splinting. But I’ll do what I can if it’s for the bird’s best interest.

So what I should be doing?