New keets, hints for first time

[Anita Scott]

We found 19 eggs and incubated them. Fortunately 2 nights later a raccoon hit the replacement chicken eggs, followed by snakes and more raccoons.
Last night our keets hatched.
We have a nice brooder box, they really seem to love it.
We are keeping the water warmed with one light.
Question- how long do you have to keep giving them warm water? Wasn't sure if it was until they get their feathers or longer.
They run around and are drinking from the tray with marbles and also the chick waterer, which they learned how to peck immediately. They are enjoying their chick grower feed.

Our first guineas were 4 month's old when we got them, so we didn't have to raise them from keets.

Anything that we should know or look out for would be helpful. We love our guinneas.

 

[SueT]

Why warm water? I never heard of that.
I've raised 4 batches of keets, and used a brooder light to keep them warm like you do for chicks. They all turned out fine.

 

[Anita Scott]

I was told that cold water will kill them.

 

[Anita Scott]

I tried putting in a thermometer. Not sure if it was off or not, but the keets seemed too warm when the thermometer read 95.

 

[SueT]

Okay, well if the brooder is warm, the water would likely be warm too? I guess some of the experts will be along to advise you on this

.
Here is one of my batches of keets. I always raised them in the summer, so maybe that's why the water temp was not an issue.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

I was told that cold water will kill them.

I gave mine room temp water, and they all lived I guess if you gave them, like, ice water, it would kill them, but room temperature is fine.

 

[R2elk]

We found 19 eggs and incubated them. Fortunately 2 nights later a raccoon hit the replacement chicken eggs, followed by snakes and more raccoons.
Last night our keets hatched.
We have a nice brooder box, they really seem to love it.
We are keeping the water warmed with one light.
Question- how long do you have to keep giving them warm water? Wasn't sure if it was until they get their feathers or longer.
They run around and are drinking from the tray with marbles and also the chick waterer, which they learned how to peck immediately. They are enjoying their chick grower feed.

Our first guineas were 4 month's old when we got them, so we didn't have to raise them from keets.

Anything that we should know or look out for would be helpful. We love our guineas.

I use warm water the first time the keets are put in the brooder. After that I just fill the water container straight out of the hydrant. I would not put a heat source over the water. Food and water should be out of the heated part of the brooder. The keets need the ability to freely go between cooler and warmer zones in the brooder.

When you say chick grower feed, I hope you really don't mean that.

Newly hatched keets should be getting a high protein turkey or gamebird starter feed. I use a 28% protein turkey/gamebird feed for keets followed by a 24% protein turkey/gamebird grower at about 4 weeks of age. The chick starter not only doesn't have enough protein for the keets but also lacks additional additives such as extra niacin and methionine that the keets need for proper development.

Chick grower would be even more deficient in the necessities than the chick starter is.

 

[R2elk]

I tried putting in a thermometer. Not sure if it was off or not, but the keets seemed too warm when the thermometer read 95.

When measuring the temperature in a brooder, it needs to be measured at the bedding level. If you are measuring the air temperature it will be far too hot at the bedding level where the keets are. The brooder should not be kept at the same temperature in the whole brooder. If you are using a small brooder it can be difficult to maintain separate zones but the keets will do best if they have the ability to freely move in and out of the heat as they want to.

 

[Anita Scott]

I use warm water the first time the keets are put in the brooder. After that I just fill the water container straight out of the hydrant. I would not put a heat source over the water. Food and water should be out of the heated part of the brooder. The keets need the ability to freely go between cooler and warmer zones in the brooder.

When you say chick grower feed, I hope you really don't mean that.

Newly hatched keets should be getting a high protein turkey or gamebird starter feed. I use a 28% protein turkey/gamebird feed for keets followed by a 24% protein turkey/gamebird grower at about 4 weeks of age. The chick starter not only doesn't have enough protein for the keets but also lacks additional additives such as extra niacin and methionine that the keets need for proper development.

Chick grower would be even more deficient in the necessities than the chick starter is.

This is the highest protein that we can get around here. It is 18% - non medicated. I have checked around 2 different counties for feed. This was what our first birds were raised on.

I put the thermometer next to the keets.

 

[Anita Scott]

Here is the box. It is a water heater box, so it is pretty big.