When to move keets outdoors

[Chickiemom25]

So I have 6 four week old keets. It is 70o at night and 90 during the day so I turned off the heat lamp at the beginning of the week and they seem quiet and fine. However they are still in the garage in an 85 gallon water trough. I am thinking of moving them out to a dog run next to the apple trees for a few weeks before a gradual release into the pasture. 2 birds at a time. I have 2 muscovy ducks in the front pond and a dozen chickens which free range from a coop next to the dog run so lots of birds on my 15 acres, and about 75 acres of cattle grazing next door. My concern is in the morning the grass is just sopping wet with dew. I can put some branches in the dog run for the birds to roast on, but how long till they wont chill with the dew? Unlike my chicks, the keets go crazy if I try to pick them up so not really sure how feathered out they are on the bottom.

Is this a good plan or any recommendations?

 

[PD-Riverman]

So I have 6 four week old keets. It is 70o at night and 90 during the day so I turned off the heat lamp at the beginning of the week and they seem quiet and fine. However they are still in the garage in an 85 gallon water trough. I am thinking of moving them out to a dog run next to the apple trees for a few weeks before a gradual release into the pasture. 2 birds at a time. I have 2 muscovy ducks in the front pond and a dozen chickens which free range from a coop next to the dog run so lots of birds on my 15 acres, and about 75 acres of cattle grazing next door. My concern is in the morning the grass is just sopping wet with dew. I can put some branches in the dog run for the birds to roast on, but how long till they wont chill with the dew? Unlike my chicks, the keets go crazy if I try to pick them up so not really sure how feathered out they are on the bottom.

Is this a good plan or any recommendations?

Give them a bed where they can snuggle if needed to keep warm on cool nights---Make sure their place is Snake Proof----Snakes seem to love the Keets. They will be fine. And quit worrying about one making a little noise when you pick it up---it will be fine. They make a lot of noise when they are adults, but if I want to hold one to check it out-----I do not pay the noise any attention.

 

[Chickiemom25]

And quit worrying about one making a little noise when you pick it up---it will be fine. They make a lot of noise when they are adults, but if I want to hold one to check it out-----I do not pay the noise any attention.

Noise isn't the problem, they try flying away and running from me. If I could catch them it would be great

 

[Anita Scott]

I started letting out my 4 week old keets with the 3 big guinneas during the day. They like the new larger fenced in area. They seemed to be doing fine. I started letting 1 out at a time and they just wanted to return to the others. Yesterday I let one out. It flew on the roof, then into the cherry tree behind the coop. I let out a second bird and the little fellow flew down and they both returned to the flock.
Well today I let one out. It flew on the roof, so I let out another one and it flew on the roof also. I ended up with 4 on the roof. I left the door opened and tried to get them back in.
All of the sudden they took off onto the carport roof 10 feet away. All the other guinneas got excited and joined them. We tried to get them down and they flew back into the cherry tree. They have spent the morning up there. We figured that they know where their food and water is, so hopefully they will come down. I even had the big birds trying to talk to them.
Has anyone had the problem?

 

[R2elk]

I started letting out my 4 week old keets with the 3 big guineas during the day. They like the new larger fenced in area. They seemed to be doing fine. I started letting 1 out at a time and they just wanted to return to the others. Yesterday I let one out. It flew on the roof, then into the cherry tree behind the coop. I let out a second bird and the little fellow flew down and they both returned to the flock.
Well today I let one out. It flew on the roof, so I let out another one and it flew on the roof also. I ended up with 4 on the roof. I left the door opened and tried to get them back in.
All of the sudden they took off onto the carport roof 10 feet away. All the other guineas got excited and joined them. We tried to get them down and they flew back into the cherry tree. They have spent the morning up there. We figured that they know where their food and water is, so hopefully they will come down. I even had the big birds trying to talk to them.
Has anyone had the problem?

I just used a really long stick to convince my guineas that there wasn't anywhere they could go that was not within my reach.

 

[Anita Scott]

These little guys were 25+ feet in the tree. We finally got the tractor a 12 ft pvc pole and a net.
It was a bit of a circus, but I finally got them down. We got 6 in, then started working on the other 6 while the first ones were chowing down on their food and water.
The 2nd set of 6 still wanted to hang out on the roof for a while.
We had to be careful because there are some 50 ft trees really close by, and didn't want to keep them going higher and deeper into the timber.

 

[R2elk]

These little guys were 25+ feet in the tree. We finally got the tractor a 12 ft pvc pole and a net.
It was a bit of a circus, but I finally got them down. We got 6 in, then started working on the other 6 while the first ones were chowing down on their food and water.
The 2nd set of 6 still wanted to hang out on the roof for a while.
We had to be careful because there are some 50 ft trees really close by, and didn't want to keep them going higher and deeper into the timber.

I forgot to mention that my "stick" is approximately 25' long. My guineas decided they would like me to retire my stick.

 

[Anita Scott]

I will have to add the 2nd pvc pole to it, thanks to the kids at UW for throwing them away.