Savage mini dinosaur - a day in the life of a keet.

[Gill-b]

The keet (26 days old) showed me in person this morning, just what little savages fowls can be. It caught a gecko and, after knocking it about a bit, swallowed it whole. I already knew fowls to be so, but to witness it just a few inches from my eyes is a little... well... I can't think of the appropriate word... gross? much?... unnecessary? lol.

Needless to say, the keet was very proud of itself...

...not a very proud mum however.

Then after sitting on my shoulder, like a pirate parrot, while I am on my mobile phone, time for some preening...

 

[Callender Girl]

I had no idea they could be deadly hunters at such a young age.

Having watched some of my chickens grab and eat baby robins, however, I do understand why you feel a bit more queasy than proud!

 

[2ndTink]

Wow, a whole gecko! That's crazy, I bet it won't need to eat the rest of the day I guess make sure it has access to grit

 

[Gill-b]

I guess make sure it has access to grit

I try spend a few hours each day in my garden so that the keet can forage for gritty bits. It is a real pain trying to dig a hole because the keet wants to be in EVERYthing!

At the moment it wants to be in my ear...

 

[Gill-b]

...oh, yes, it is also a bottomless pit of hunger!

 

[2ndTink]

I guess this is called a healthy appetite

 

[Gill-b]

I had quite a scare this morning. The keet (28 days old) ate a wasp that was very possibly killed by insecticide. It stole the wasp from ants that were carrying it to their nest. I thought that very clever of the keet, when it suddenly became very lethargic, ill looking and quiet. I was at a lose to what is the right thing to do in this situation, but I remembered something about charcoal and poison; and I became desperate to try anything. So I got some ash from our baai (*) place and force fed it to the keet, then kept it awake because I did not want it to fall asleep and never wake up.

(* a 'braai place' is a South African term for where we cook at home over an open wood fire - a barbecue area.)

Fast forward to an hour and a half later... I sit down to eat a sandwich for lunch and the keet jumps up from a prone position, dashes over and steals some cheese from between my slices of bread! ...I would say that is an improvement!

I swear this thing is testing me... such a smug look on its little face.


It is now sleep chirping on my shoulder under my hair. I don't think we are fully out of the woods yet as it is not as 'busy' as it normally is, but it is drinking, feeding itself and walking around some... positive signs of a full recovery.

 

[2ndTink]

I'm glad the little keet is doing well, what a scare though!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Wow, what a rollercoaster!

 

[Gill-b]

Today the keet is five weeks old and is doing really well. In the past two days I have noticed a change in colour of its beak - moving from orange-red to dark brown with a hint of black. Amazing how quickly the changes are happening.

There has also been a notable change in the keet's demand for my attention. I can now leave it alone for longer length's of time without it screaming its heart out. And when I return it is calmly waiting and greets me in a cheerful 'I have missed you' way, instead of a desperate 'where have you been?!!!!!' way.

Today the keet seemed to make friends with a Wagtail. The keet and I were outside sitting in the shade of the thorn trees (the temperature is 35 degrees Celsius or 95 degrees Fahrenheit). The keet was taking a dust bath when the Wagtail landed just a few feet away. The two of them then wandered around together hunting for bugs. It was adorable to watch - the Wagtail being less than half the keet's size.