Before your keets arrive you will need to prepare. For the
first 2 weeks your very young keets will need to live indoors in a cage or
cardboard box (until they start to jump out) This is called their brooster.
Keets are hatched at 99 ½ degrees. However after they are hatched the
temperature must be kept at a steady 95 degrees using a heat lamp. Take care to
monitor the temperature below the lamp. It is a good idea to have a thermometer
handy to monitor the temperature. Experiment before your keets arrive and get a
good idea of the temperature the lamp keeps before your keets arrive. If the
temperature is too hot raise the lamp. If the temperature is too cold, lower the
lamp. If your keets are all huddled together, they are too cold, if you keets
are all spread far apart, they are too hot. When the keets turn a week old,
lower the temperature by 5 degrees.
Cage with heat lamp and thermometer to monitor temperature.
I do not recommend using pine wood chips or shavings for a
bedding, as the keets may eat it and clog up their intestines. A bedding such as
paper towels or newspaper should be used. You will also need to keep fresh water
and fresh food down for your keets. Water and food should be at the opposite end
of the brooster away from the heat lamp. Keets should eat medicated turkey
starter, which contains Amprolium, a coccidiostat that controls coccidiosis.
Some choose to use chick feed. Turkey starter is 24 % higher in protein than
chick feed and keets raised on turkey starter are noticeably larger by age 6
months than those raised on chick feed. For very young keets, place marbles
inside the water container, as shown below, to prevent the keets from drowning.
Keets will suck the water out from between the marbles.
