Too Many Keets

[dirtychick]

Well how's it going mom-+what town you in if it is sayable?

 

[June2013]

Despite all reports of hatching percentages, I now have 17 keets out 18 original eggs!! I dissected the unhatched egg, it had multiple concentric rings but no developing blood vessels. As for a good mother, I don't think it could get any better. She alters between everyone tucked underneath her wings, to running around time within the cage. Everyone seems to be eating and drinking well. When I gathered up the keets for the cage, I didn't get to check each one with much detail, but I have not seen anything abnormal just watching them run around. To add about good mother actions, when I essentially pored the meets in the cage, Mom just stepped thru the side door and took her place.

I don't know "how" aggressive a mother hen will get, but as I was cleaning up the turned over water container mess, she hissed, and struck at my gloved hands with only what seemed to be minimal effort. I started with fireplace gloves and then felt comfortable with only one regular work glove to finish the cleaning. Maybe she has a little trust in me or is just not an overly excitable mother.

Tomorrow while I doing some never-ending work in the barn, I will allow the adults to come in mid day. At that time of day it is usually only minimal foot traffic. So hopefully everyone has a mutual respect for the new additions.

Dirty chick, I live in Fayetteville, AR. I'm closing in on 20 years since I came back after getting my extended education.

Thanks Again to all the help. If I get some pics, AND can figure out how to post them, I'll pass them on. But pics never convey the feeling of being near the real thing.

 

[dirtychick]

You mentioned the water could the keets drown in the water? If apossibly a rabbit nipple bottle water might work. They will be lively as they grow. congragulations,and luck from gravette.

 

[June2013]

I have read about keets and chicks drowning, yet it never mentions the size of the water contained. I typically use smaller ones so it does not take over the brooder space. I do use the marble suggestion or boiled pebbles from landscaping areas. Yes, I think they could fall into the water and get the downy feathers so wet that the bird would not have the strength to get upright. Now for how many days, weeks, I stopped when they out grew the first brooder container, 10-14 days. By that time I wanted to use a larger feeder and waterer and they seem stronger on their legs and not as vulnerable to the pushing and shoving of their sibs. I have never considered nipple feeding, because at this time my pump needs some work, hence no water at the barn. The question I would ask others with the nipple type hamster setup and yourself, what are your plans for the future and will the guineas/keets easily change over to a tradition tray water setup? And, how much maintenance and cleaning does a nipple type waterer entail? The heat and humidity here really brings on the algae grow right now. I went to the galvanized containers which seemed to be easier to clean than the plastic jugs. I found the jugs got smelly even with daily water changes. I kept a small garden sprayer with a mixture of bleach and water just to clean the jugs. Too much washing rinsing, washing rinsing…and to add, with winter temperature changes, I could barely get the unscrew the top.

One last thing to recommend, if you need a larger feeder, I like the galvanized ones with the adjustable feeding tray height. There are two different brands sold around here. You should be able to find the brand that is adjustable.

 

[dirtychick]

I hatch chicks and keets .I have seen quail running a round and fall from exhaustion in the waterer head down that would have drowned. For baby I now use quail waterers. When I move them out I use the rabbit nipple pop bottle waters they are on the outside so the chixks don't get wet from them. When chicks get wet they are scared and cooler and pile up this make steam which keep them pileing up and they sufferated. the nipple drinkers some times get a little something in at the ball or at the cap and leck out - swishing them around in wayer usely helps this -thou you may neeed two hights for baby and mom? Don.t lose the rubber sill at the in side of the cap. Ypur call what best for you and mom.and they get a little moss growing in them but until it starts interfering with the sill at the ball I don't worry about it' Feeding is usely on the ground by me and I feed more than I sould but It's faster. good luck.

 

[June2013]

Does anyone have any advice on the time frame and best procedure on how to separate a fraction of the newly hatched keets ( 8-9 days old). I have some one who would like 12 of them. I'm only keeping five due to limited space with my 12 adults? This is my first experience with any broody hen hatching eggs. I researched the issue online but I couldn't find any info on the subject. Thanks ahead for any help or experience.

 

[alldembirds]

I am pretty sure the sooner the keets get to there new home the better. You just take them away like chickens . they dont need weened like a dog. The new owner will just have to keep them in a pen/brooder for a while.

 

[dirtychick]

Hey fay. how is mom and the babes?

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Hello:

OH you are soooo lucky to get to witness the hatching of keets by a Guinea Hen. All I can say is PROTECT the little ones and the hen and enjoy the commotion.
Have fun with this one.
Guinea Goonie

 

[June2013]

Dirty Chick, Sorry to take so long to get back to you. This is , as I've explained, my first hatch of any fowl. So as any new starter, one is never prepared enough. I've been doing the extra netting for the secured run for their first time to be out and about with just mom. Since this is a first time mom, she seems to be practicing getting them time mind her calls to move here or there, IE get back in the barn. I found a very nice experience family to take 13 of the 17 keets. I planned on keeping five, but when I boxed the second batch to deliver to them, I have only four in the brooder. At three weeks of age, as you probably know, it is difficult to catch them, so I decided not to try and 'rescue' the fifth out of the box. The only thing that concerns me now is I have a very significant sized runt. It appears to be very healthy, however, I have put up roosts that she can't reach. The mother hen does not seem to care that Runt might be chilled being left on the litter floor. Today I added a second lower roost that Runt maybe able to eventually reach the top one. The mother and the other three keets roost side by side on the top roost leaving Runt down below. It would not be concerning except our temps have been in the upper to mid 60's the past few days. All in all, I think it is going well. I have left the brooder door open for the mom to take the babes into the coop when the chickens come in to 'snack' on the the guinea's food. No problems with that. The flock of adults very interested when the keets had where in the run. Most particularly one adult kept trying to pick thru the fence, and kept pacing up and down the fence line with the mother hen. Except for everyone being separated by only fencing in the barn, I have not witnessed any aggression for the three plus weeks. My plan this week is to do a supervised integration as mom hen will allow.

The latest with Guinea-Chicken, GC, has been odd and concerning. As may have described earlier, GC is a guinea who injured her leg as a juvenile. She hops around on one leg. Since the guinea flock picked on her so much, I moved her in with the chickens, hence guinea-chicken. She is broody now on the floor of the barn. No problem, except I've had a Buff Orpington maybe maybe not acting broody right next to her. The buff sets on her two to three eggs, then at times she doesn't return for the day or two. So GC pulls the eggs into her clutch, but then the buff returns and decides the clutch is hers. No witnessed fights, yet two days ago GC took two of her eggs and decided that would be her new clutch???? While GC was taking a break, I moved all the eggs back to the original spot and GC seems to be happy with the current spot. I will add the couple who accepted the extra keets brought me some fertile chicken eggs, four, that GC has seemed to accept. I'm concerned that I may be 24-48 hours longer than chicken gestation. I'll just have to wait and see. The date I wrote down for GC setting date was July 19th. Fourteen guinea eggs and four chickens, it shall be interesting to witness a one legged guinea to mother this brood.