New Keets are sick, help!

[jak2002003]

They should be wormed 2 times per year.As should all birds.After 1st treatment you need to repeat 10 days later to kill the cycle.But the above adviced should be followed also.
What do you mean by chick food?They need to be fed a gamebird feed.
In N.H.,Tony.

Hi. I have not got access to gamebird food. I can only get chicken or duck starter. I am adding hard boiled egg to their diet most days for extra protein though, and insects.

I know its not ideal, but I got to make the best of what I can get. My last lot of guinea fowl were raised the same and were very healthy.

Update. 3 have completely stopped coughing, but the biggest one is a bit worse today... I am going to see if I can get some antibiotics from the animal feed shop today.

 

[bosschris]

I have had Guineas for about a year now. If you want them to calm down some when your around, you need to get white millet. I order mine off Amazon as no one around me stocks it. I put in my hand just a small amount each day and said "treat Guinea". At first I had to hold it for a few minutes then put it in the brooder and walk away. Within a couple days they were eating out of my hands, which can be painful when they get older lol, now I give them small amount in morning and get them in the coop at night in the evening. As a matter of fact most of my chickens and ducks come running now when I start yelling :treat guinea guinea" I also use it if they are going outside my property. It has helped me teach them boundaries. I can also use it if I need them in early. People laugh cause I am the only one they know that has trained Guineas, but for me it was well worth the little extra effort! They still don't like being touched much but at least they listen.
Once I started millet I offered grit and greens. Guineas need green and grit for proper digestion.
I am no expert but this is my experience.

 

[jak2002003]

I have had Guineas for about a year now. If you want them to calm down some when your around, you need to get white millet. I order mine off Amazon as no one around me stocks it. I put in my hand just a small amount each day and said "treat Guinea". At first I had to hold it for a few minutes then put it in the brooder and walk away. Within a couple days they were eating out of my hands, which can be painful when they get older lol, now I give them small amount in morning and get them in the coop at night in the evening. As a matter of fact most of my chickens and ducks come running now when I start yelling :treat guinea guinea" I also use it if they are going outside my property. It has helped me teach them boundaries. I can also use it if I need them in early. People laugh cause I am the only one they know that has trained Guineas, but for me it was well worth the little extra effort! They still don't like being touched much but at least they listen.
Once I started millet I offered grit and greens. Guineas need green and grit for proper digestion.
I am no expert but this is my experience.

Thank you for the good idea about the millet. I have some for my parakeets... so I will try that today.

My old flock was quite tame.. but like yours they would not tolerate being touched or, worst still, held!!!! They did not eat out of my hand.. but they would come running to me if they saw me going out to feed the chickens.. and they would follow me around when I was gardening in case I disturbed any bugs.

3 of my keets are now really healthy. Only the biggest one still coughs.... but not as much as before. I have stopped the medication now and will see how it goes. It has no other symptoms, looks and acts really healthy and is very lively.

I tried to get antibiotics, but none of the food supply shops had any and I even asked at 2 different Vets, but they told me they did not have any medication for birds, they only treat dogs and cats etc.

 

[bosschris]

...

Thank you for the good idea about the millet.  I have some for my parakeets... so I will try that today.
If you don't have a vet believe it or
My old flock was quite tame.. but like yours they would not tolerate being touched or, worst still, held!!!!  They did not eat out of my hand.. but they would come running to me if they saw me going out to feed the chickens.. and they would follow me around when I was gardening in case I disturbed any bugs.

3 of my keets are now really healthy.  Only the biggest one still coughs.... but not as much as before.  I have stopped the medication now and will see how it goes.  It has no other symptoms, looks and acts really healthy and is very lively. 

I tried to get antibiotics, but none of the food supply shops had any and I even asked at 2 different Vets, but they told me they did not have any medication for birds, they only treat dogs and cats etc. 
[/quote ] in the future I might try a wildlife rehab. Person. When I had a sick duck she knew just what to do. They save so many different animals that vets don't that have have some great ideas. Mine helped me treat an eye infection in my duck when no one else knew what was safe.

 

[jak2002003]

Great news... they are all better.... no more coughing... and they are growing really fast too.

I am so happy... they are even getting tamer with me. I am spending some time each day to just sit by the pen and watch them.. sometimes throwing in some mealworms (which they don't seem to like) and millet (which they think in just about edible). What they do like is vegetables more than anything.

I have changed their food... mixing in my songbird dry food (which has a lot of protein.. made of dried eggs, insects, honey etc) with a chick starter and meat bird pellets. Also feed them hardboiled egg... again which they are not fussed with.

I can't wait to let them out and see them free range... but going to keep them in a couple more weeks to make sure they get tamer and know the area. They are just starting to make the adult noises and replacing their brown feathers with grey ones.

They seem to have bonded with my young chickens... as they follow them up and down the wire of their run. I hope they will stick with these birds and learn where to go and where to roost from them.

 

[Trefoil]

Great

 

[jak2002003]

Here is an update of my 4 keets.

They are doing really well and are all very healthy now.

I started to let them out to free range with my chickens 4 days ago... just letting them stay out an hour at a time.. then herding them back to their pen and feeding them. They are much tamer now and won't run off when I get near them, although they won't feed from my hand yet, and still won't eat any insects or mealworms.

They HATE the hosepipe. I use that to my advantage in laying it on the ground around areas of the garden so they stay within the limited area (to get used to their surroundings)... they refuse to step over the hose... so no need for a fence lol.

They WERE very well behaved and cooperative, but today they got spooked by something and all flew up into a bushy tree in the vacant plot next door!!!! Why they choose that tree I don't know.. because we have about 50 trees on our land, and many around their pen.

I was worried because the plot is all overgrown and there would be little chance of getting them back if they flew down into the undergrowth and scrub. Also the street dogs (which are chicken killers) like to pass through that plot a lot.

I could not get into the land easily... and was worried if I spooked them even more they might just fly off and get lost. So I decided to play the waiting game.

They stayed up in the tree, too scared to fly down... for over 5 hours!!! Eventually I got the idea to play a recording of a guinea fowl call on my phone. They got really excited about that and eventually all flew down back into my garden.

But now they like to keep flying up and down to that tree..... I need to stop them getting into that habit as I don't want them going onto the next door plot.. they will be dog food for sure. I might leave them out tonight so they follow the chickens up to their mango tree roost (this was where my old flock of guinea used to roost).