Article: Guinea fowl are not very good at taking care of their delicate little keets. They are fierce protectors, but they will walk through grass with morning dew on it and expect the keets to follow. They do, but getting wet is death to keets. Though a grown guinea can endure rain and snow and other insults, guinea keets are very delicate, so you will have to put in some work to raise them. Guineas sometimes will abandon a nest even after the hen has gotten broody and spent several nights sitting on the eggs. If you notice that a nest has been abandoned, move the eggs to an incubator right away. You can use a store-bought incubator, following the instructions for incubating turkey or pheasant eggs if no specific instructions are provided for guinea eggs. The incubation period is between 26 and 28 days. Once the keets hatch, you will need to care for them until they have fully developed feathers and are strong enough to hold their own with the rest of the flock. If you also raise chickens, a broody hen can be used to hatch the eggs and raise the keets. Turkeys can also make suitable replacement mothers. You will need to keep the keets contained in a box for the first six to eight weeks. A 16" x 28" box will provide enough space for about 15 keets. Keets are very delicate, so be sure to provide adequate space for them to prevent trampling. If they appear to be overcrowded, move them to a larger box. Keets can escape through very fine wire mesh, so it's best to keep them in a container with solid sides, like a sturdy cardboard box. They will be jumping in no time, so make sure you cover the box with a screen. Keep the box lined with clean paper towels for the first week or more, and then switch to wood shavings. They need a textured surface to prevent them from slipping and injuring their legs, so don't line the box with newspaper. Textured shelf liner, available at dollar stores, is a good substitute. Try this: Put a hand towel or cloth in a clothes dryer only long enough to get it warm. Then pick the keet up with the warm towel, loosely wrap it around the keet, and snuggle with the baby against your chest. Sometimes the sluggishness is just a sign that one keet needs more warmth than the others. Feed your keets a store bought food, crumbles rather than pellets, for the first couple of months. Use a starter mix for baby birds with 24% to 28% protein for the first five weeks, and then switch to a mixture containing 18% to 20% protein for the next three weeks. Check labels. Starter feeds for wild birds and turkeys tend to be higher in protein than starter mixes for chickens. If you run out of feed and can't get to a feed store right away, boil some eggs and feed the keets the yolks. Hand feed the keets to get them used to you. Be sure to provide your keets with a steady source of fresh, warm water. They don't tolerate cold water well. Newborn keets are susceptible to drowning, so provide water in a shallow bowl filled with marbles at first. The keets will climb on the marbles and drink the water between them. Very young keets will require some help at first, so tip each keet's beak briefly in the water to let them know how and where to drink. After the initial period, providing a jar of water with a watering base will be a great way to make sure they always have enough water to drink and that they never have enough water to drown in. Keets may get dried feces stuck to their feet or bottoms. This can cause a variety of complications, so be sure to clean them right away. To do so, wipe the area with a moist cotton ball or soak the area in warm soapy water. Be very gentle. Scraping or picking the feces off of the keets may cause injury. To prevent this from happening in the first place, make sure to change the lining in the box frequently.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Be prepared to intervene. Create a safe home for the keets. If one keet seems more sluggish and droopy than its siblings, don't panic. Provide food. Provide water. Keep them clean.