Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[MedlerFarm16]

Do you know the temps? Maybe they were too hot. Did you actually see them eating and drinking? Did you see any diarrhea or poo build up on their back sides? Was the crumble the right kind? Were they trampling each other?

Usually 95 an up. Yea I've seen them eat an drink some, yea they had it, but we kept them clean. No they never really trampled each other.

 

[duluthralphie]

More questions:

Could they get away from the 95 degree area. That is kind of hot unless they can get away from it.


What did you feed them?

Did you or anyone in your family handle them? Keets are not fans of being touched.


As was asked, did they have poop on their butts/rears? Were they pooping?


where were they indoors or in outside shed? Did any other birds have access to them? Did you disinfect the tote before using it?

Did you give them any "treats"?

Did you look at them often? Guineas do best when left alone. really alone.

Do you own waterfowl? Could the waterfowl get close to the keets? Why do you own waterfowl?

Did you buy from an approved hatchery? Someone you knew? A store where 300 people could have touched the birds before you got them?

I cringe when I see birds in a feed store/mill TSC and so forth, knowing people will buy them and bring them home without knowing who has what disease and has touched them or their feed or the tank. It is like putting a sign out front and asking everyone with a bird disease to walk through your coop and pet your birds.

 

[duluthralphie]

Usually 95 an up. Yea I've seen them eat an drink some, yea they had it, but we kept them clean. No they never really trampled each other.

How did you keep them clean?

Did you change the bedding/straw paper daily?

 

[perchie.girl]

I lost about five keets when I switched to shavings too soon... little buggers were eating them

deb

 

[SunHwaKwon]

You shouldn't have to clean the backside of a healthy keet. My suspicions are they were too hot and/or they were sick when you got them.

 

[duluthralphie]

You shouldn't have to clean the backside of a healthy keet. My suspicions are they were too hot and/or they were sick when you got them.

I am kind of leaning towards that, along with over fussing about them. At a week they hardly need the tote cleaned if there are only 9. Cleaning the tote could stress out of the little buggers. Heck, smiling at them can stress them out.

When I feed and water the keets, I pretend I can't see them. it makes them happier. If I really want to make them happy I "accidentally" drop a switch blade into the pen.

I know some think I am joking, but the less you monkey with keets the better they will do.

 

[R2elk]

You shouldn't have to clean the backside of a healthy keet. My suspicions are they were too hot and/or they were sick when you got them.

I have to agree with you that 95°F and up is too hot especially if they are in a tote. I have read of deaths due to poisonous gases released by new totes under heat. I also don't know the size of the tote but the normal totes that I see in the stores really aren't big enough to accommodate 11 keets and a feeder and waterer for more than a day or two

They need the heat but they also need to be able to get away from the heat when feeling too hot. High ambient temperatures can cause additional temperatures. The last batch of keets that I started got the temperature set at 85°F because the ambient daytime temperatures were near 100°F. They did fine.

 

[MedlerFarm16]

More questions:

Could they get away from the 95 degree area.  That is kind of hot unless they can get away from it.


What did you feed them?

Did you or anyone in your family handle them?  Keets are not fans of being touched.


As was asked, did they have poop on their butts/rears?  Were they pooping?


where were they indoors or in outside shed?   Did any other birds have access to them? Did you disinfect the tote before using it?

Did you give them any "treats"?

Did you look at them often?  Guineas do best when left alone. really alone. 

Do you own waterfowl? Could the waterfowl get close to the keets?  Why do you own waterfowl?

Did you buy from an approved hatchery? Someone you knew?  A store where 300 people could have touched the birds before you got them?

I cringe when I see birds in a feed store/mill TSC and so forth, knowing people will buy them and bring them home without knowing who has what disease and has touched them or their feed or the tank.   It is like putting a sign out front and asking everyone with a bird disease to walk through your coop and pet your birds.

Um wow that's alot...
Yes I have ducks no they are outside n a cage, Because I can! The keeta were inside. Yes they use the bathroom, they ate crumbles no treats just food an water an yes the tote was long enough for them to get away from heat.I read that 95 was a good temp!! It was cleaned. Wasn't handle very much just to wipe their bums... No got them from a friend of a friend his first hatched idk if he handled them....

 

[duluthralphie]

Um wow that's alot...
Yes I have ducks no they are outside n a cage, Because I can! The keeta were inside. Yes they use the bathroom, they ate crumbles no treats just food an water an yes the tote was long enough for them to get away from heat.I read that 95 was a good temp!! It was cleaned. Wasn't handle very much just to wipe their bums... No got them from a friend of a friend his first hatched idk if he handled them....

hmmm

Maybe gases as R2Elk said, I think heat. I raise mine in a 4ft by 8ft pen with hardware cloth on the sides. I do set the temp at 95 for the first few days, but they spent a lot of time at the far end of the pen also. That is 7 ft from the heat source. Also that is in April and May when nights are cold. 95 seems high for this time of year. But I do not know your climate.

I am thinking the tote was just not big enough to let them get away from the heat. Also a tote has no ventilation on the sides so heat is trap, bad gases are trapped. I am just not a fan of totes.

 

[cabinchicky]

Well for the sake of my son getting some sleep for work, my 2 girls are going to a new home. Friend has a farm with goats, chickens, dogs, cats, horses and the guineas are going there to teach them how to be bad. Hope they won't knock off too many of the neighbors. If I ever get them again later down the road I will get 12 to start out and keep them away from the chickens so they can grow to the gangsters they should be.