New to raising anything with feathers - Guinea Keets!!!

[Mistahbue]

I am momma to two dozen Guinea keets born last Thursday. They are being kept inside and at present am using two large printer boxes covered with lattice for housing. Heat lamp temp seems to vary from mid 90's to 80 on the nose and they are all doing well.

Today am trying to score a 3rd box in order to make them a condo - in the hopes that I can offer food and water on one side so they aren't messing in all their food.

That is my concern -- am changing their water out several times a day from where they track poop and food into it. Of course I know they are stepping in poop too.

Is walking in this poop dangerous for them? I have them on paper towels that I change out twice a day. Also seems like I am tossing almost as much food than they are eating - just because of it being soiled in. I have tried the metal circular feeders and they literally tossed or scratched that out of the holes and all around the feeders. Last night I put it in a plastic plant tray - they still managed to send it sailing as well!

I know I need to begin plans to move them to a wired enclosure in about 3-4 weeks but they still have their fuzzy feathers with the hint of, I guess, pin feathers starting to appear. Something is starting to show up on those little wings.

I try to move them between boxes every other day because I don't want to keep them in stress every 24 hours. Just moved them a few minutes ago to the clean/waiting box. They are flopped out on their bellies with feet behind them and trying to snooze away.

Any pointers will be terrifically appreciated.

 

[lightchick]

I usually have a plywood board underneath the food and water and that really works! I'd put them on wood shavings for bedding. It's much better.....make sure to get pine shavings! Not cedar!
I'd also make the biggest brooder possible! I had a 20 sq foot brooder for just 8 chicks and it kept EVERYTHING soooo much CLEANER! I wish you luck!
PS: You can out the food and water dishes on a brick too.

 

[Mistahbue]

Will the week old keets be able to reach the food if it's on a brick? I will go hunt down a piece of plyboard right now because I know they are getting restless. I didn't put food down for them in the clean box.

Do I need to be worried about them tracking through the poop? I'm cleaning the box out twice daily - I know bird poop/pee a lot so this wasn't unexpected. Just don't want them getting sick from being in it or worse - picking at it like it's food.

Signed
clueless bird mom
LOL

 

[lightchick]

It is unhealthy for them to be in poop, but just walking through it is going to happen and it's not like their living in the poop. Here's one of my brooders.
This was before I got the chicks and I had washed the board so it was wet at that moment so it wasn't in there.

See? Food and water are pretty clean. (as the chicks got older it was harder to keep them clean, but they stayed pretty clean!)

 

[Mistahbue]

Okay thank you!! I do have a small board under the water dish and I swear they are walking in it on purpose!!! Looking for a larger board to place both on their. With 24 though I know it's going to be chaotic when eating. I've got two feeders and I'm still suspicious one of them picked them up and flipped the food out. LOL LOL

I've noticed they seem to enjoy staying up late at night -- I don't put food in at night - but they seem to enjoy picking through scraps then come morning - like now - they are once again passed out cold.

Hopefully we are getting the 3rd box today to make them a Guinea condo, minus those annoying association dues.

 

[lightchick]

You don't keep food out all the time? Why not?

 

[Mistahbue]

right now it's basically out most of the time but they waste more than they eat it seems. They work really hard at cleaning up most of their strewn food - I know they aren't neat eaters - they are birds after all! LOL I fill up the feeder a few hours before lights out in the house - seems like they swarm it and then spend quite awhile picking away at the pieces that are out of the feeder area.

They've dang near doubled in size -- they have to go into some larger housing this weekend. I suspect that might help with the feeding mess as well. I left two feeders in several days ago -- over 1/2 filled in each bottle. Within an hour both bottles were empty and food was literally all over the floor of the brooder! I swear I've got one in there who is some sort of super keet and is tossing food for everyone else. LOL