Guinea fowl with swollen feet.

[algae75]

Hi everybody, I have a 7 yr old male guinea that has not been doing too well this winter. We live in Northern Michigan and the temps here have been teens during the day and single digits at night. I have 2 male guineas housed with 1 peacock and 2 peahens. They have spent most of the winter in the barn (old horse stall converted to indoor bird coop) and getting access to the out door coop on sunny days. For most of the winter they have also spent more time snuggled in the straw versus the several roosts I have for them. Recently I have noticed the one male guinea even more lethargic and when I entered the coop he would get up to walk/run away but he was high stepping it...he would raise each foot really high as he was walking. Well I caught him and put him in the "triage pen" that we can put up easily in the basement. Upon catching him I instantly realized how much weight he had lost...super skinny. In October (in a separate coop) I had to treat a peahen for coccidiosis and capillary worms (done successfully with help from another member on this forum!) so I automatically thought it was that (also, I do not have access to regular veterinary care where I live, I could not wait for a fecal to confirm or deny my hunches). I started tube feeding him Pedialyte and by the end of the day I tube fed him Kaytee Exact and the same meds that I had treated my peahen with. On the second day of his being in the basement I noticed he was still raising his feet so I wrapped him in a towel to inspect his feet. Both pads of his feet were swollen and warm. The swollen parts looked to be swelled with clear fluid, not pus as you would expect from an infection. I also cannot see the hallmark "core" associated with bumblefoot. Attached are pics of both feet. The one foot looks like it may have a scab on the middle toe but I didn't think so. Wondering if anyone has any ideas?

 

[happyhens1972]

He's got some raised scales there...scaly leg mite maybe?

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

It sounds and looks like it could be frostbite from the description. The raised scales look like they are due to the swelling and not from mites. However, frostbite wouldn't explain the weight loss. Given that, I would say that your guinea has another health issue that is causing weight loss (independent from the swelling feet). Worms are a possibility, particularly if you have had issues with them in the past.

Here is a link to another BYC thread on the subject of frostbite: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...loody-fluid-coming-out.1221009/#post-19539551

 

[Scratchychiken]

Frostbite could be a cause for his feet, but his increased lethargy and weight loss could be worms/parasites. But take this with a grain of salt, since I have never had guineas.

Hope you figure out whats wrong with him.

 

[algae75]

So just to let everyone know, I treated Mr. Guinea for capillary worms and coccidiosis, all the while keeping him indoors until the blisters went down. I didn't get a fecal done because in the fall I had problems with a peahen having capillary worms and coccidiosis, I just assumed he would probably have the same parasites (also, I live on an island in the middle of Lake Michigan...during the winter months the local vet is barely here and he doesn't know much about birds). I felt the blisters on his feet were mild frostbite because the fluid in the blisters looked clear, not cloudy or pussy from infection. After a little over two weeks the blisters went down, the old skin was sloughing off and new skin was growing. His poops looked great and we were having a warm up so I put him back outside with his other guinea buddy and they have been doing great. Just wanted to put this on for any others who might run into the same problem. For those that did reply, thank you!