# HELP!!  6 of 17 DEAD!!! (Guinea Keets) - 7/18: Lost another one...



## elevan (Jul 15, 2011)

_I posted this over on BYC too...but I almost never get responses or very few there...please help if you can!_


So, I ordered 12 guinea keets for pickup from Ridgeway Hatchery in LaRue, Ohio.  They were hatched on Wednesday afternoon...I didn't get a call from the hatchery until 3:30pm on THURSDAY and it went to voicemail...didn't get vm until 4:15 and they close at 5:00 pm...and they are an hour away from me...

So I wasn't able to get them until this morning.  Lady at the hatchery said she put them on feed and water last night.  I picked them up at 8:30 am this morning and they added 5 extra keets (so we had 17) because a few were looking poorly.

Drove the hour home and almost immediately upon arrival 2 died.  A 3rd quickly followed and then a 4th.  We just lost the 5th a little while ago.  And the 6th just died after the remaining 11 piled on top of it to sleep...bending it's neck clear back...there was no way I could have saved it by the time I discovered the pile up.

This is my first go round with guineas...and I'm really frustrated.  Ticked off is more like it...

Is it normal to lose so many?  Are they really that fragile?  I've raised chicks and ducklings and never seen anything like this...

Their brooder is at 93*-96*, they have a 24% feed (highest I could find) and water in one of those quail waterers (no way to drown).  They are on bedding pads sold to me by the hatchery (same thing they put into the box when they ship chicks).

On the way home I really expected to lose 4...just because of the way they were looking...but now I've lost 6!  I don't want to lose anymore...what else can I / should I be doing??

Please help!

Thank you!


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## ohiofarmgirl (Jul 15, 2011)

oh geez. sorry. i've contacted Guinea Goonie directly over at byc before - he's very knowledgeable. and nope - thats not normal. wonder if you can get your money refunded/replacements?

sorry
:-(


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## elevan (Jul 15, 2011)

I've been reading a lot of bad comments against Ridgeway since asking about this...

This is my first time dealing with them and I can guarantee it'll be the last.


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## ksalvagno (Jul 15, 2011)

I wonder if guineas are more like turkeys and need food right away. When Meyer ships turkeys, they put grogel in with them so they can start eating right away. If the keets hatched on Wednesday (which would have been very early Wednesday morning) and didn't get anything at all until Thursday night, then it may have been too little too late.


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## terrilhb (Jul 15, 2011)

I don't know about getting keets. I hatched 24 eggs. Got 17. They are really hardy birds. Did you get a hold of peeps from California on Byc? Don't give up on them. That does not seem normal. If you heard they did not have a good reputation than it is probably something they did. They are awesome birds. See if you can get ahold of Peeps. Good luck. Sending you lot's of


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## elevan (Jul 15, 2011)

So far this has been the only response on BYC:


			
				snyd08 said:
			
		

> no i think u jusrt got a bad hatch sent your way. something more than likely happend during the incubation period. maybe people opening incubator up too much somrhting like that IMO


_
See what I mean about not getting responses there...idk maybe it's just me..._


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## terrilhb (Jul 15, 2011)

I just sent a message to Peeps. I hope you don't mind I copied and pasted what you wrote to them. Will let you know what I get back. Oh peeps answered you on your post on BYC. Very smart person. Trust them Has helped me and kept mine alive. Sorry I can not be more help.


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## elevan (Jul 15, 2011)

terrilhb said:
			
		

> I just sent a message to Peeps. I hope you don't mind I copied and pasted what you wrote to them. Will let you know what I get back. Oh peeps answered you on your post on BYC. Very smart person. Trust them Has helped me and kept mine alive. Sorry I can not be more help.


Thank you  

I did try electrolytes with the ones that didn't make it...I was using a dropper...tapping the beak to get them to open and then giving them a drop at a time.

So far no more losses...holding at 11.  These 11 seem to be doing well...eating, drinking, running around, then sleeping....and starting it all over again when they wake.


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## Squirrelgirl88 (Jul 15, 2011)

Just thought I would share what I found on BYC from another poster

"Well we had a chicken coyote masacre this past weekend leaving me with about a quarter of my flock left. Then this past thursday we went to pick up ducks at ridgeway hatchery in larue ohio. My husband and i were disgusted by this place. I will NEVER do business with them again. it looked like someone took a run down shack and threw in incubators! WAS HORRID! My husband decided to rescue 25 pullets from them (ie buy) well as of today all but three have died! i have NEVER had this much death from pullets in my years as a farmer! I am so disheartened at this point."

Apparantly this Ridgeway Hatchery is not the best place to deal with. 

I hope your little ones pull through!


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## elevan (Jul 15, 2011)

Squirrelgirl88 said:
			
		

> Just thought I would share what I found on BYC from another poster
> 
> "Well we had a chicken coyote masacre this past weekend leaving me with about a quarter of my flock left. Then this past thursday we went to pick up ducks at ridgeway hatchery in larue ohio. My husband and i were disgusted by this place. I will NEVER do business with them again. it looked like someone took a run down shack and threw in incubators! WAS HORRID! My husband decided to rescue 25 pullets from them (ie buy) well as of today all but three have died! i have NEVER had this much death from pullets in my years as a farmer! I am so disheartened at this point."
> 
> ...


Yeah, I saw that one too today...

I'd never dealt with them before but I had mentioned to a friend that I was thinking of getting guineas in the future and she said, "Order from Ridgeway, you can get a smaller amount and I'll split the order with you and I'll go pick them up they're only 15 minutes from my house!"

Well, she flaked on me and decided she wouldn't go pick them up and she didn't want guineas after all...

I passed their building twice because there wasn't a sign to announce that it was them...I finally noticed the old, faded painted name at the top of the building.  It was like going to a really filthy factory building...dust everywhere...could smell the poultry poo before you walked in the door...

I won't be ordering from them again...or listening to this_ friend_ again either


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## PattySh (Jul 16, 2011)

Sorry to hear you lost some of the guineas. I hatched about a dozen guineas this year and they all survived. It is normal to leave the birds in an incubator for 24 hrs to "fluff up and allow the area attached to the yolk to close. They are generally pretty hardy little creatures. Sounds like  either a bad hatch (dirty incubator/off temps etc) or they got chilled and piled. Most hatcheries ship and it can take a couple of days. I thought hatcheries had to be inspected, sorry to hear this one is so gross.


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## Roll farms (Jul 16, 2011)

FWIW, I hatch hundreds of guinea every year (to sell) and rarely lose any.  I like to raise them w/ turkeys to 'teach' the turkeys how to live instead of die.

My dh wishes they'd all croak...unfortunately for him....they don't.


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## elevan (Jul 16, 2011)

Thank you everyone for your help and / or support.

We are still holding at 11 keets.  They seem to be doing pretty well and hopefully no more losses  

The whole thing was more than a little upsetting with the friend flaking out, having to drive a little over an hour to get them, the hatchery being less than satisfactory and then 6 dying one right after the other      I felt sick constantly handing DH a dead keet to go bury in the yard.  I won't do business with that hatchery again that is for sure.


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## manybirds (Jul 18, 2011)

guineas are hardier than chickens and almost as hardy as ducks/geese. your not giving them laying mash are you?


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## elevan (Jul 18, 2011)

manybirds said:
			
		

> guineas are hardier than chickens and almost as hardy as ducks/geese. your not giving them laying mash are you?


I'm giving them game bird starter.


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## elevan (Jul 18, 2011)

We lost another one this morning...so we're down by 7 with only 10 left.  Now, I'm losing money and getting really ticked off!


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## Squirrelgirl88 (Jul 18, 2011)

See, I get mad and I start calling people. Better Business Bureau would be first - that is if I've already called the hatchery. Then after the BBB, let's call the local humane society, SPCA, or Animal Investigator. I could go on, but it turns out President Obama won't return my calls. :/


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## elevan (Jul 18, 2011)

Squirrelgirl88 said:
			
		

> See, I get mad and I start calling people. Better Business Bureau would be first - that is if I've already called the hatchery. Then after the BBB, let's call the local humane society, SPCA, or Animal Investigator. I could go on, but it turns out President Obama won't return my calls. :/


The hatchery's policy is to give you a credit toward a future order...and since I won't be ordering from them again ever that's not an option.

I think letting everyone know of my experience (here, on BYC and on Facebook) will serve a better purpose than making a bunch of additional phone calls.  After all, when a customer has a good expense they tell a few people BUT when they have a bad experience they tell EVERYONE they know.  Ridgeway operates mostly on word of mouth referrals...they do a little advertising but not much.  They won't be getting any referrals from me.

Next time I'll find a BYH or BYC member who hatches guineas or I'll order from Meyer, which is my hatchery of choice for chicks.


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## jodief100 (Jul 18, 2011)

This is my first year with guineas and turkeys.  I haven't lost a single one of either, 13 guineas (I ordered 12) and 6 turkeys.  I picked them up day one at Mt Healthy, asked Roll what to feed them and haven't had a problem.  Maybe I just got lucky but who knows.  

If you are in Central Ohio, Roll isn't that far and she sells gunieas.  It is worth the trip just to meet her and her goats.


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## terrilhb (Jul 18, 2011)

I am so sorry you are going through this. the place you bought them from sucks. Sorry for the language I want to say much worse but I don't want to be in trouble. I will help you post how bad they are. I once again am so sorry.


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