New keets, hints for first time

[Hentherapist]

I have a first time with keets question too. At what age can they switch from paper towels as bedding to shavings. Mine are a week old yesterday.

 

[BlueShadow]

I have a first time with keets question too. At what age can they switch from paper towels as bedding to shavings. Mine are a week old yesterday.

I am not an expert but if they were my keets, I wouldn't hesitate to switch them. Do be sure to offer grit in case they eat the shavings. We usually raise chicks & keets on straw and offer a small size grit (sometimes we buy chick grit, sometimes we just sift the regular grit to sort out smaller pieces for them).

 

[BoogieBug]

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.

Hi R2elk, I don't mean to hijack this thread but I have a question regarding feeding keets. As a new newbie to guineas, I have four 5-day old keets. I've been giving them chick starter but supplementing with a mash consisting of hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese and oatmeal all mashed together. Is that sufficient? I noticed that one, possibly two, are opening their beaks and holding their heads up, as a baby bird does when it's waiting for mama to drop a worm in their beaks. I also noticed it twitching its head and wondered if maybe they are deficient in something. Attached is a photo of one doing what I mentioned.

 

[BoogieBug]

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

Oh wow! I put woodchips in a cardboard box after the first day!! They were 3 days old when I got them and now they are 5 days and yesterday I switched to woodchips.

 

[R2elk]

Hi R2elk, I don't mean to hijack this thread but I have a question regarding feeding keets. As a new newbie to guineas, I have four 5-day old keets. I've been giving them chick starter but supplementing with a mash consisting of hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese and oatmeal all mashed together. Is that sufficient? I noticed that one, possibly two, are opening their beaks and holding their heads up, as a baby bird does when it's waiting for mama to drop a worm in their beaks. I also noticed it twitching its head and wondered if maybe they are deficient in something. Attached is a photo of one doing what I mentioned.
View attachment 1030573

Yeah that's not a good sign. It is recommended to not put keets on wood chips until they are at least 2 weeks old. They can and will eat them and cannot digest them without having grit available. Giving them crumbled hard boiled egg is fine but will not increase the protein level since hard boiled eggs are only around 12% protein.

You should not be feeding new keets cottage cheese and oatmeal. It does not appear that you are providing them with grit. Starter is okay to be fed without adding grit but other items which could be considered treats must have the grit in the keets system for them to be able to digest it.

I use sand as bedding for my keets. I live on a sand dune and just dig up some sand to put in the brooder. I do not wash it or make any attempt to clean it other than picking out some roots.

One of the problems about feeding chick starter is there are many levels of chick starter. I have seen chick starter as low as 15% protein which I would not use even for chicks let alone keets which need a much higher protein and higher levels of things such as niacin and methionine. A top quality chick starter such as the 22% protein chick starter that I use for chicks would not be as harmful to the keets.

If you can't get a good quality turkey/gamebird starter, at least get the highest quality chick starter you can find. In your case I recommend getting water soluble vitamins such as Nutri-Drench to add to their water. If adding such, do not use ACV in the water.

Good luck.

 

[BoogieBug]

Yeah that's not a good sign. It is recommended to not put keets on wood chips until they are at least 2 weeks old. They can and will eat them and cannot digest them without having grit available. Giving them crumbled hard boiled egg is fine but will not increase the protein level since hard boiled eggs are only around 12% protein.

You should not be feeding new keets cottage cheese and oatmeal. It does not appear that you are providing them with grit. Starter is okay to be fed without adding grit but other items which could be considered treats must have the grit in the keets system for them to be able to digest it.

I use sand as bedding for my keets. I live on a sand dune and just dig up some sand to put in the brooder. I do not wash it or make any attempt to clean it other than picking out some roots.

One of the problems about feeding chick starter is there are many levels of chick starter. I have seen chick starter as low as 15% protein which I would not use even for chicks let alone keets which need a much higher protein and higher levels of things such as niacin and methionine. A top quality chick starter such as the 22% protein chick starter that I use for chicks would not be as harmful to the keets.

If you can't get a good quality turkey/gamebird starter, at least get the highest quality chick starter you can find. In your case I recommend getting water soluble vitamins such as Nutri-Drench to add to their water. If adding such, do not use ACV in the water.

Good luck.

I believe the chick starter that I bought is 19% protein, but I'm going to try to find gamebird starter tomorrow. And I will add the the liquid vitamins as well. Thank you!! Appreciate the info! We have no sand here in NW GA ... just soggy red clay. Would this poultry bedding be okay?

 

[R2elk]

I believe the chick starter that I bought is 19% protein, but I'm going to try to find gamebird starter tomorrow. And I will add the the liquid vitamins as well. Thank you!! Appreciate the info! We have no sand here in NW GA ... just soggy red clay. Would this poultry bedding be okay?

That is still wood chips. I know of people that use the wood chips but cover them with paper towels or newspapers. I have personally witnessed keets eating paper towels so that is not my preference.

 

[BoogieBug]

That is still wood chips. I know of people that use the wood chips but cover them with paper towels or newspapers. I have personally witnessed keets eating paper towels so that is not my preference.

I suppose I could ask my son to scoop up some sand off the beach in Florida and bring some up to me as he'll be visiting in a few days. ha ha ha!!

 

[Anita Scott]

When should I merge the keets with the 3 older guinneas? They are 3 1/2 weeks old now. We only have guinneas. Should I keep them in the new pen for a while before letting them free range with the older ones?

 

[Chickiemom25]

I was told that cold water will kill them.

I heard that too but didn't heat the water and mine are 4weeks now