http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ Farming Friends Forum Tag: keets en Sun, 19 May 2013 00:45:15 +0000 http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=671#post-16926 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:53:33 +0000 asedem 16926@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>I live in tropical Africa &#38; keep a few guinea fowls.I have realised that there is high mortality among keets from a day old to 6 weeks and sometimes even 6 months old.I found out that other people face the same problem.I know that period is so critical but the losses are so alarming.Can somebody help ?Is there a routine health care chart indicating when to give vitamins,coccidiostats,dewormers &#38; antibiotics in water.<br /> G.Teni </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=2644#post-16590 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:55:47 +0000 admin 16590@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi Robert,<br /> I will send you an email about adding photos. I am glad the two groups have mixed well. It is a sight to see when they are dashing about after lettuce!<br /> Robert you have been lucky that the two older ones are calmer and more mellow as sometimes the older birds can chase the younger ones. This has happened to my new guinea fowl keet raised by my hen and luckily the keet is faster than the others and can dash about, it only happens when they go into their hut at night and their is plenty of room for chicky to dart about as it is an old pig barn!<br /> I have found that during late Autumn and Winter all the guinea fowl range the farm together but during the Spring and Summer months they split off into their original groups since guinea fowl pair off and mate for life apparently. Once my flock start to re-group into smaller grups I usually know that the mating and egg laying season is about to begin and then when they re-group into a big flock, Autumn is uslaly coming!<br /> Kind regards<br /> Sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=2644#post-16589 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:43:27 +0000 rjbuttle 16589@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Saturday was a big day for our keets. We have 2 that are now 7 weeks old and 16 that are 3 weeks old. I had searched the net to see if it was going to be okay to combine these 2 groups and could not find any relevant information. So it seemed the best thing was to try it and see what happened.</p> <p>The 2 older keets are quite calm and are much less 'wild' as they have had more individual attention and handling. The group of 16 are a really boisterous mob, much braver and more competitive. </p> <p>Saturday morning we let the older 2 out of their ark/coop for the first time and they happily explored the barn enjoying the dry dusty ground and having enormous fun playing with bits of string. This gave us the opportunity to clean out the ark and prepare to move the others which was always going to be a challenge as they really do not like being picked up. Anyway after much noisy flapping and recovering a few (3) brave escapees the young keets were successfully relocated to their new home and huddled under the heat lamp recovering from the stress and excitement? All the while the 2 older keets had totally ignored the proceedings and played with more string! </p> <p>Once the mob had settled down and were starting to move around their new space we herded the other 2 back in - this was much easier than expected as they happily walked straight in! They then walked over to the younger keets gave most of them an inquisitive peck and that was it, no drama just a little puffing out of feathers and posturing.</p> <p>There is no question raised here but I thought it might be useful if anyone else is facing the same situation to know that is has worked very successfully for us. We want the birds to be a well bonded flock but had wondered how easy it would be to mix them as there is a considerable size difference and if the older birds had been aggressive it could have been nasty.</p> <p>A happy ending though they have now been together for a few days and all rush round together when they are excited. The young keets happily steal lettuce from the beaks of the older birds with complete confidence and no reprisals. If anyone can tell me how to post a picture on the forum I would be happy to put one in, just copying an image into the text box does not seem to work.</p> <p>best regards</p> <p>Robert </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=2627#post-16400 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:37:59 +0000 Mama 16400@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Good luck Robert and hope you can settle them down. I can't advise as I don't have quail but Mo's idea seems very logical .Maybe Sara admin can advise also when she comes onas she has quail .Regards Mama </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=2627#post-16398 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:21:51 +0000 rjbuttle 16398@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi Mo,</p> <p>Thank you for your reply. The barn is a large steel portal barn which is open on one side so I do not have the option or luxury of closing the door.</p> <p>I have had a browse through previous posts but have not found any tips to keep the keets calm. However I have ordered a cage trap and hope I will be able to stop the fox from hanging around the barn.</p> <p>I do like your suggestion of covering the mesh to make the keets feel safer and am looking at making up some plywood sides that I can put on at night.</p> <p>best regards</p> <p>Robert </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=2627#post-16339 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:56:10 +0000 m40mo 16339@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>hi robert if you use the search button at the top of the page there have been lots of topics on foxes many with sugestions which may help you, in the meantime as your coop is in a barn is there not a door you close at night to keep the fox out or could you cover the coop so they cant see out of it at night </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=2627#post-16337 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:32:20 +0000 rjbuttle 16337@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>My first 2 keets were 5 weeks old last weekend and moved to a larger ark style brooder/coop in the barn that will hopefully be their final home. The ark has welded mesh floor and halfway up the sides with roosting perches in the roof. On the second night they were out there a fox caused them to become very distressed and they have bruised their heads flying into the mesh.<br /> I know the best answer is to get rid of the fox but wondered if anyone had any tips for deterring foxes?<br /> The keets are quite safe in their house but I really do not want them to injure themselves further by panicing.<br /> Any thoughts?</p> <p>Thanks in advance</p> <p>Robert </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1619#post-14018 Fri, 27 May 2011 10:17:59 +0000 m40mo 14018@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>the dried are fine and better still if re-soaked in warm water </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1619#post-14017 Fri, 27 May 2011 09:30:38 +0000 admin 14017@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi Mo,<br /> Thanks for letting us know about this. Very shocking. I have to say I have only fed live mealworms once. Usually getthe dried ones.<br /> Thanks for passing this info on.<br /> Kind regards<br /> Sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1619#post-14011 Fri, 27 May 2011 07:24:35 +0000 m40mo 14011@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>I asume the parents do the same with them and yes shocked me when I first read it, </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1619#post-14010 Fri, 27 May 2011 07:15:08 +0000 campbell ridge 14010@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>That's a bit shocking, wouldn't the mini mealworms do the same thing - only smaller? </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1619#post-14009 Fri, 27 May 2011 07:10:49 +0000 m40mo 14009@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>as you know Sara I have done alot of reasearch into bluetits and other wild birds since the sad death of all the blue tits in my box and one thing I learnt that shocked me is that live mealworms will eat away at the inside of the chicks and that experienced wild birds will de-head mealworms before feeding them to their young and many people that have to take over the raising of wild birds do the same, dont know if these were live mealworms or not, I have also learned that you can buy mini mealworms for young birds </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1619#post-14006 Fri, 27 May 2011 06:21:45 +0000 campbell ridge 14006@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>I would have thought insects of any sort would be ok for young poultry as this is what they eat when raised by their mothers in the wild. Mind you, they do say that meal worms have low nutritional value so a variety of insects is the norm. </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1619#post-12392 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 07:42:30 +0000 admin 12392@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi All,<br /> Does anyone have any experience of feeding young guinea fowl keets meal worms as Ron fed 10 day old keets them and then has had a poorly and dying keet.</p> <blockquote><p>i have 10 day old french guinea keets .i gave them some meal worms and they ate them real quick came back in 30 minutes and 1 was lying on side with brown liquid coming from its mouth.did the meal worms kill the keet. thanks Ron</p></blockquote> <p>I have never fed young keets mealworm I have onlt ever given them chick crumbs and then lettuce when they are about 2 weeks old.<br /> The mealworm may have been too rich for the keets digestive system or there could have been something wrong with the mealworm.<br /> I hope the other keets are ok.</p> <p>Has anyone else experienced this?<br /> Kind regards<br /> sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1230#post-9470 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:48:21 +0000 pinkpoultry 9470@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Could you put the rabbit hutch in with the chickens so they can see each other but cant get to each other, that way they will get used to each other for a couple of weeks then you could let them out! Thats what I did with my ducks as the drake used to go crazy at the ducklings through the fence. Eventually they just sat either side of the fence peacefully at the end of two weeks. And now they live happily together! x </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=1230#post-9465 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:25:54 +0000 sbeau66 9465@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>i guess it was beginners luck, but i had 100% success in the incubator first time around and now have 6 keets, i've got them in a warm broody box at the mo and was planning to put them into a rabbit hutch when they get bigger, but what about after that? it will be cold for them outside, does anyone have any ideas, i cant put them straight away in with my chickens cuz i think the chickens would kill them,,advice needed please!!! </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=845#post-5467 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:57:56 +0000 admin 5467@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi All, </p> <p>Received this email about a poorly guinea fowl keet.</p> <p>"Hello, I saw your comments on another webpage and am hoping you might have some advice for me. I have recently purchased some guinea hen keets, not sure how old but one of them is significantly smaller than the rest. She was doing fine until 2 days ago when she was stumbling and acting ill. When I picked her up she seemed cold so I brought her in and warmed her up. She did great until this morning when I went out she was lyingon her back seemingly barely alive. I brought her in and have been feeding her some crickets since she loves them and just keeping her warm. i tried a few minutes ago to put her back in with the others, but they just trample her and start pecking at her. I would appreciate any advice you can give. i think that she is just much younger than the others and cannot keep up with them. She seems to have quite a will to live but I am not sure how she will do if I keep her separated. However the other keets will kill her if I put her back. Thanks so much, Beth"</p> <p>Those of you with guinea fowl if you have any advice for Beth then please let me know.</p> <p>Kind regards<br /> sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=819#post-5301 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:39:14 +0000 Mama 5301@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>These are so lovely , a pleasure to see. thanks for sharing .Good eggs sara. Mama </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=819#post-5289 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:48:23 +0000 admin 5289@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi All,</p> <p>Gary has just sent some photos of his guinea fowl keets that he hatched off from my guinea fowl eggs for hatching. So I thought I would share them with you. They hatched under a pekin bantam and are progressing well. <a href="http://farmingfriends.com/guinea-fowl-keets-progressing-well-with-pekin-bantam-foster-mums/" rel="nofollow">http://farmingfriends.com/guinea-fowl-keets-progressing-well-with-pekin-bantam-foster-mums/</a></p> <p><img src="http://farmingfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/garyskeetsandbantams.jpg" /><br /> <img src="http://farmingfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/keetsgary.jpg" /></p> <p>Kind regards<br /> sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=723#post-4254 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:24:21 +0000 admin 4254@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi All,</p> <p>Just received this email from Jais about a guinea fowl keet not eating.</p> <p>"Sara, A neighborhood guinea layed a nest of eggs beside our house. She hatched them all and left the nest. Two hatched later and the adults are not here to take care of them. One died and the other was almost completely hatched out and I brought it inside as the ants were coming to it. It is too weak to eat or drink on its own, so I have been mixing starter with warm water and force feeding it every couple of hours during the day. It seems to be walking around a little better today and pooping OK but still not eating or drinking on its own. It hatched out Sat. morn. Is something wrong with it? Janis"</p> <p>Hi Janis,<br /> Sorry to hear about the guinea fowl and the keet that didn't make it. Hope your other keet is ok. Do you have the under a heat lamp, if not I would make a brooder using some bricks as edging or in a box and add something on the floor such as straw or carpet or towelling so that the keet keeps warm and doesn't get splayed legs. </p> <p>Keets like to have warm water and I put marbles or pebbles in the drinker so that the keet can still drink but nit get head in and drown.</p> <p>I would continue to feed the keet as you are doing but I would also place the keets beak into the food dish so that it knows where the food is and can start to peck on it's own.</p> <p>I would also hard boil an egg and feed it the yolk if it will eat it and yoghurt mixed with chick crumbs is also an option as the yoghurt is easy to get the keet to peck at.</p> <p>Watch out for pasting up on the bottom as keets can often get their droppings stuck to their bottom and then as the droppings collect they get poorly and this can be fatal for them. If the droppings do stick to the vent area, try to wash them off.</p> <p>Hope this helps.<br /> Kind regards<br /> sara @ farmingfriends</p> <p>If you have any advice for Janis then please let me know.<br /> Thanks. Sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=671#post-4015 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:42:37 +0000 hazlia 4015@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi Gladys</p> <p>I am sorry that you are having a bit of a 'rough ride' with the keets. It does sound a bit worrying, especially as the birds originate from Africa. I certainly don't give mine any special treatment except for their first 10 days and they seem fine. They survive on what they can find supplemented with crushed corn (grade B) Duck layer pellets or crumble which is what all the birds get whatever they are!</p> <p>I hope you get the answers you are looking for and I am sorry I cant offer any advice.</p> <p>Warmest regards</p> <p>Mike </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=671#post-3941 Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:13:02 +0000 asedem 3941@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>I live in northern Ghana.I believe the harsh environmental effects could be a cause.Your suggestions are welcome.This problem has been of concern to the Vet/research professionals.Some studies/research have been undertaken but the causes &#38; remedies not arrived at yet.<br /> Gladys </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=671#post-3894 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:44:11 +0000 hazlia 3894@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi Gladys</p> <p>I live in Borneo (Sabah/Sarawak border) and have the use of a 5 acre farm where I started to raise Guinea Fowl last year. I hatched 7 keets from my incubator and then added another 9 keets which I imported from West malaysia. They are now breeding and I have 27 keets of various ages. I have only lost a few so far and certainly not enough to be alarmed. They were mostly hatched from under chickens/turkeys although one Guinea hen managed 7 herself but suffocated one. I take them all indoors and 'brood' them for about a week and then out they go into a cage with wire mesh floor so most of the poo goes down and out. At about 6 weeks they go free range and apart from a a bit bullying from the larger birds they seem fine.</p> <p>I was in Democratic Republic of Congo for a year in 2005 and there were a few Guinea Fowl around. I am not sure what is killing yours off in such high numbers but I know Africa (Congo especially) has some very exotic diseases which were killing the local population if not the birds.</p> <p>My climate is equatorial but free from most of the 'nasties' that Africa has. I do not give mine any vitamins or medication - they just get on with it and mix in with the Turkeys, chickens, ducks and geese.</p> <p>It sounds like you have got something quite nasty there but I would not know what it is. Is there a vet who could conduct a PM to ascertain the cause of death? (or am I watching too much TV).</p> <p>Where in Africa are you?</p> <p>Regards</p> <p>Mike </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=668#post-3886 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:53:24 +0000 admin 3886@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi John,</p> <p>I haven't found anything from my google search yet. I good place to keep looking as it's updated regularly is the preloved website <a href="http://www.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction-adverts.listadverts/keyword-guinea+fowl/startrow-1/maxrows-20/a96fe9dd.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction-adverts.listadverts/keyword-guinea+fowl/startrow-1/maxrows-20/a96fe9dd.html</a> CAn't see anything on there for guinea fowl keets in Darlington.</p> <p>Another site is birdtrader <a href="http://www.birdtrader.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">http://www.birdtrader.co.uk/</a></p> <p>Just found Durham hens website based in Bishop Auckand and they sell chicks <a href="http://www.durhamhens.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">http://www.durhamhens.co.uk/</a></p> <p>Pierce-bridge Organic Farm, Darlington, Co Durham (01325 374251) This is a farmshop and they rear chicks, just wondered if they had chicks, may be worth a phone call?</p> <p>Will keep looking.<br /> Kind regards<br /> sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=668#post-3885 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:22:37 +0000 john 3885@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi sara, many thanks for posting my plea for a little keet for our only keet that hatched, it looks so lonely so if anyone out there near DaRLINGTON has a keet that we can buy, must only be about a few days old though we would be very grateful. kindest Regards john<br /> phone 07802679053 </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=671#post-3881 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:30:48 +0000 asedem 3881@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>I live in tropical Africa &#38; keep a few guinea fowls.I have realised that there is high mortality among keets from a day old to 6 weeks and sometimes even 6 months old.I found out that other people face the same problem.I know that period is so critical but the losses are so alarming.Can somebody help us since some of us want to go in commercially?We also need a routine health care chart indicating when to give vitamins,coccidiostats,dewormers &#38; antiboitics in water since these medications help.<br /> Gladys </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=668#post-3873 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:17:28 +0000 admin 3873@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi All,</p> <p>Had an email from John who has a guinea fowl keet that hatched on Sunday and he wants to get aother keet or two to go with this lonely keet his children have called Jemima!<br /> He lives in the Darlington area so if you know a guinea fowl breeder in the Darlington area please let me know thanks.<br /> Kind regards<br /> sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=243#post-1930 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:22:37 +0000 admin 1930@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi Angela,<br /> So sorry to hear the keets with the splayed legs didn't make it. Thanks for sharing the information about the vitamins, that is good to know.</p> <p>I myself haven't used vitamins with my animals although I do sometimes give the poultry something called poultry spice which is a nutritional supplement that has a high mineral content.</p> <p>Kind regards<br /> sara @ farmingfriends </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=243#post-1913 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:15:26 +0000 angela smith 1913@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi Sara and Mike</p> <p>Thank you for your replies to my plea for advice. </p> <p>My little chicks legs were very very splayed, I tried to prop them up with pipe cleaners but they could not walk and ended up on their back. I sadly came to the conclusion that they would not get better. The well keets are doing very well now they are 6-8 days old and I have good expectations that they will survive.</p> <p>Next time I put guinea fowl eggs in the incubator I will try the wet towel as they are hatching. I have always used paper over the wire floor and keep it damp so it is not too dry or slippery.</p> <p>We had some very hot weather here and I left the eggs in the nest until I had enough for the incubator. My guinea fowl can tell if I take eggs out of their nest and then make a new nest which I can't always find. Maybe the eggs were a bit exposed so that some of the little keets were not as strong as they could have been. </p> <p>I had some turkey poults that developed perosis a few years ago. After that I dosed the hatchlings on Vitamin E (people type capsules with oil in them. I nicked the capsule and squirted all the oil in their mouth once weekly)I put condy's crystals in their drinking water(just 1-2 crystals so the water was pink) and I also ground up Vitamin B complex tablets and added some to the turkey starter I was feeding them. I don't know which of these stopped the problem in later clutches but I did not have the problem again. I have not got turkeys now. This problem developed after a few weeks but the little guinea fowl had splayed legs from the time they tried to stand up.</p> <p>Vitamin E is a good remedy for stress and as far as I am aware it is very difficult to give an overdose, a friend gives it to the baby orphan kangaroos she rears, they can stress out very easily and she uses it all the time. Have you ever used it for any animals or birds?<br /> Thanks again, </p> <p>Angela </p> http://farmingfriends.com/forums/topic.php?id=243#post-1877 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:42:55 +0000 hazlia 1877@http://farmingfriends.com/forums/ <p>Hi Angela</p> <p>I am really sorry to here about your splayed leg keets. I tried splinting and tieing legs together. I did not have a lot of success. Two survived a month or two like that and then fell prey to some rat as they could not really move that fast. To try and stop that happening in the first place, I now use a damp towel under the eggs in the icubator during the hatch period. I use a Brinsea Octogan advance 20 and the egg floor is plastic with holes but I think still a bit slippery. The leg problem occurs (or so I think) because when the babies hatch they are so weak they cannot stand properly and do the splits and once that happens it is 'game over'. A damp towel gives a lot more purchase until they have enough strengh. My Quail and one chicken also suffered a similar fate. If you do try a damp towel you need to keep it damp by spaying regularly or it will dry out and suck the moisture from any unhatched eggs and possibly kill the unhatched chick.</p> <p>Not much comfort I know. Try splinting as I have heard that it can work (i think my keets were too far gone).</p> <p>Good luck</p> <p>Mike </p>