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

[tlcmurphy]

That’s good dust-bathing! (S)he sure is cute

 

[Gill-b]

I was trying to measure the size the keet this morning... FAIL!!

 

[Pookie Mum]

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.

What a lovely story - please keep us informed as to the progress of your keet.
I am in the country in Tasmania, Australia and in my fifth year of rescuing keets from the 4 acre garden. The mothers and fathers, which are pets, just wander off and if I don't pick the babies up, they get taken by eagles and many other types of wildlife. We have very varying temperatures here, so have to be careful about that. They are in a large, lined plastic crate with heat and all the right things for their 5 star life! I have had great success previously and this year I am so sad because I have lost 5 of the 9 rescued. One a day. The remaining four seem to be very robust, so I am hoping I will not lose any more. This week has been very upsetting for me and my husband. We love our 8 grown up Guineas and hate seeing these gorgeous little babies die.
So - good news of your very tame keet will be very welcome. Thank you!

 

[Gill-b]

Thank you for your post. I enjoyed reading about your Guinea Fowl family. I would have liked to have visited Tasmania but only made it as far as the Blue Mountains on mainland Australia.

please keep us informed as to the progress of your keet

I have three threads on BackYard Chickens where I share the keet's progress so please check in on all three if you want to stay informed:

- the first thread that I started is more serious and is where I have asked the experts questions when I needed help. (I must just comment on how wonderful the people have been here in helping me out.)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/indigenous-guinea-fowl-rescued-keet.1610540/

- the second one I started is this thread that we are on now. It is for the more lighthearted little stories of the keet.

- the third thread is where I show the development stages of the keet.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pics-of-development-stages-of-guinea-fowl.1612650/

 

[Gill-b]

Bird rescue 101: first put bird in dark place to calm it and to destress it

...right?

All of my previous birds, rescues or not, settled down when the space around them went dark.

...not so with this one!

I never would have thought!? The keet has been sleeping outside in a bird loft for a little over a week now and, just like a little child who is scared of the dark in new surroundings, this keet needed a nightlight for the first few days.


I started off luring the keet, in the evening time, into the unoccupied loft with treats (mainly mealworms) and then leaving it in there while I cooked dinner. As long as it could hear my voice through the open door, it was relatively okay ...untill it started going dark outside. Then it ran back-and-forth along the wire fencing calling in distress, getting more and more upset; and it did so even if I stood next to the loft, in full view, talking to it. Eventually I would bring it inside for the night. Then on the 1st March I put a light up in the loft and, low and behold, it worked! The keet settled down on the top most perch and I was able to lower the side covers and walk away with very little protest from the keet.

The next morning, I rolled up the side covers to be greeted by an eager keet, ready to face the new day. That evening the keet went into the loft of its own accord and the sleeping arrangements have been going well ever since.

So my new 'Bird rescue 101' advice is: first put bird in dark place to calm it and to destress it ...except if it is a Guinea Fowl! ...in which case I wholly advise you take the opposite approach!

[PS. Please don't tell my friends I did this - they already think I am crazy as it is! Lol]

 

[Gill-b]

Guess who needed a nightlight again last night?

 

[Gill-b]

The keet has taken a great interest in my strawberry plants so I thought we better read up on them and I explained to the keet that digging them up is not a good idea...
...the lesson was ignored.

 

[Gill-b]

Yesterday the keet was ten weeks old.

I recently learnt that every part of the avocado tree, not just the fruit (which I have known about for years), is highly toxic for birds. Now I am so very worried about the keet, which has been digging up almost all my garden, getting poisoned by any of my four relatively young avocado trees, should it decide to taste the sprouting leaves or dig around the roots.

Up until this past week I have always supervised the keet's outdoor activities and steered it away from the avocado trees, but the past few days it has chosen to forage outdoors without me and I have been leaving it to itself (and to its garden-bird friends) while I get to do things inside. It quickly comes to find me when it needs my attention.

So yesterday morning I rigged up some rigid netting to cage the four avocado trees. About an hour later I go to hang up some laundry on the washing line and things are too quiet - I cannot hear the keet. I go look for it and find it... inside the avocado tree enclosure! ...stuck between the netting and one of the avocado tree containers ...looking at me as if to say, "You call this secure? Pffffft, cracked it in less than a minute. Now get me out so that I can gloat strut at your inability."

Please give me strength.

 

[Sammy Hill]

Yesterday the keet was ten weeks old.

I recently learnt that every part of the avocado tree, not just the fruit (which I have known about for years), is highly toxic for birds. Now I am so very worried about the keet, which has been digging up almost all my garden, getting poisoned by any of my four relatively young avocado trees, should it decide to taste the sprouting leaves or dig around the roots.

Up until this past week I have always supervised the keet's outdoor activities and steered it away from the avocado trees, but the past few days it has chosen to forage outdoors without me and I have been leaving it to itself (and to its garden-bird friends) while I get to do things inside. It quickly comes to find me when it needs my attention.

So yesterday morning I rigged up some rigid netting to cage the four avocado trees. About an hour later I go to hang up some laundry on the washing line and things are too quiet - I cannot hear the keet. I go look for it and find it... inside the avocado tree enclosure! ...stuck between the netting and one of the avocado tree containers ...looking at me as if to say, "You call this secure? Pffffft, cracked it in less than a minute. Now get me out so that I can gloat strut at your inability."

Please give me strength.

I have netting over an enclosed garden & our keets seem to get flustered and have almost strangled themselves in the net.

Also of note: they love picking & eating fabric and plastic.

Have enjoyed reading these posts- sorry about the strawberry plant!!

 

[Gill-b]

"My, what big feet you have."
"All the better to dig up your strawberry plants."

The keet's feet are no longer bright orange in colour.