25/09/2022
LOOKING AFTER YOUR KEETS AND GUINEA FOWL
Food
Guinea fowl need high protein foods, generally chicken feed doesn’t cut it. Look for turkey or game bird foods with at least 20% protein.
Start your keets on a medicated crumble, the medication helps prevent coccidiosis. Later they can be put on pellets or other foods with suitable protein.
They will also enjoy treats like freeze dried bugs/worms and chopped up vege scraps. Make sure its little when they are still tiny because they will try to swallow anything that looks appetising.
Guineas will spend the day grazing on grass, weeds and bugs. If they are free range, they will not need a lot of supplementary food. You can save the food for late afternoon to encourage them to come home. As adults, if they are living with chickens then chicken feed will suffice.
Health care
I pick up and check my unfeathered keets daily, they may not really like it but its important. Guinea fowl legs are really delicate so I check to make sure they look straight and strong. I also check to make sure their vent hasn’t gotten blocked, this makes for a very sad and sorry keet. They will often seem a bit slow and droopy so can be recognized.
Make sure that you worm the birds and treat them for coccidiosis regularly. Both treatments can be put in the drinking water.
I use Vetsense Kilverm Poultry Wormer to treat for worms every 3 months. This or similar products should be available at all produce and pet stores.
I use Amprolium 200 to treat for coccidia every 4 months. I bought this off eBay as it is harder to find.
On the advice of my vet I throw a bit of ag lime/dolomite around the cage. It has antibacterial qualities, helps dry and ‘sweeten’ the floor. I just grab big bags of dolomite from Bunnings.
If your birds happen to get mites then something like Malaban Wash can be used to treat them and the cage.
Environment
Your keets will need a heat source for up to 8 weeks until they are fully feathered. You can make a judgement call on whether their cage is warm enough at night. Don’t be surprised if they are already trying to fly and roost when they are still tiny, keets seem to like being up high. Knowing this, make sure they are contained, they are FAST!!! and will fly to get away.
Your guinea fowl will want somewhere to roost at night, this can be in a tree or a cage. They can really fly so don’t be surprised if you see them 10+m up a tree.
Make sure their food and water is provided near their roost, make it a home area that they come back to. They will roam during the day so you definitely want somewhere they come back to at night. I take away their food during the day so they come back late afternoon when called to eat.
Training
If the keets are your only guinea fowl then it is really important to teach your birds where home is. When they are fully feathered put them in a cage where home will be. Let a couple of birds out for a few hours each day, they will stay near the cage, not venturing far from their flock. Repeat this until home is well and truly established and you are confident that they are large enough to roam.
It is a good idea to get a bell that you can ring to call your guineas home. Ring it every day and feed them/give them a treat and lock them up if they are going to be caged.
If your keets are joining an existing flock there shouldn’t be any issues, guineas are quite accepting of young. Keep the keets (and adults) in the cage until they are large enough to free range and have gotten to know the rest of the flock. They should just join the group.
Be aware that if your keets are roaming and get a fright they will climb into any available space to hide. They are best supervised when young so you don’t have to spend hours searching.
Other things to know
The common colours are pearl grey (dark grey) and lavender (light grey). Birds can also have white patches making them pied, so a dark grey with white patches in a pearl pied.
Females have a 2 syllable call and say “come back”
Males have a 1 syllable call and say “cak”
There is a breeding season, starting maybe September. Your females will lay eggs for a few months. The eggs are slightly smaller than chicken eggs but higher protein, you can easily recognise them by their pointy end.
Guinea fowl spend A LOT of time chasing each other, and other birds for that matter. Just imagine them as tiny little entertaining dinosaurs.
