Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
be warmed up immediately. You can stick them in an incubator for an hour or so or trap
heat in their brooder to raise it up to 95°F (35°C), with no drafts, to warm them.
Keet Brooder
Once you've stabilized the birds, it's time to provide them with a suitable place for
brooding.
Keets
My favorite brooder choice is the same 110-quart (104 L) plastic tub brooder I use
for all my chicks. For bedding, line the bottom of the tub with regular newsprint, not the
slick colored advertisements. Be careful not to use sawdust or other bedding made up
of small bits that the keets might mistake for food. Though I dearly love guineas, they
aren't the brightest of creatures when they are day-old. If you put a lot of litter in the
brooder that looks like or is shaped like food, they will likely eat it and plug themselves
up.
After laying down the newsprint, I place the excelsior pad that came in the shipping
box in the end of the tub where the heat source will be located. This gives the babies a
firm place to cling to when they go to sleep. Next, place the guineas on the pad in the
tub and show them where the food and water are located.
After you've placed your keets in their new home, watch them for a few minutes to
make sure things are okay. They should be moving around, eating and drinking, and not
huddled and chilled.
If they're okay, don't bother them for an hour or so; allow them a chance to get es-
tablished on their own. Because they are closely related to wild birds, guinea keets are
easily spooked by your movements and the noises you make. Birds that are frightened
when they are still so young and getting their strength can dislocate their legs, among
other injuries that you would never think possible.
