Sick Guinea Keet!

[Summerrymer]

I recently got 7 Guineas from my local Rural King on 06/28/2020. This is my first time raising any poultry so I have researched as possible. High protein starter feed, clean fresh water daily, changed shavings daily, they are inside in the brooder, temp staying around 87 degrees. I had it at 92 and I noticed all of them staying away from the light and laying with their wings out, 87 seems to keep them all happy. Since I’ve brought them home, one had been falling on its side with its feet kicked out from under it like it completely lost balance and control. I haven’t noticed any unusual droppings. I came home tonight from dinner to find the same one laying with it’s head down in the corner barely breathing. The other panicked and stepped all over him so I took him out and it died. All others are so energetic and chirpy with no balancing issues. Is there something I could’ve done different? Since we brought them home the one seemed to walk and run eat and drink great but I’d catch it on its side every now and the. Sorry this is a lot, I feel like I let the little thing down.

 

[Birdie mom]

i'm so sorry he died. i don't know what happened; i'll boost your thread so maybe someone else will see it. also !

 

[My2butterflies]

Did you check it’s vent by chance?
The only Keet I ever lost was due to a blockage. I’m sure it was caused by being kept on shavings with no grit.
I was new to keeping any poultry and didn’t know better. Plus it’s what they had them on at the store. Now I’m using puppy pads for the first couple weeks and giving grit before I use shavings.

I’m not sure if this is why your Keet died, but I thought I’d share my experience. We will all have losses at some point, try not to be too hard on yourself.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I recently got 7 Guineas from my local Rural King on 06/28/2020. This is my first time raising any poultry so I have researched as possible. High protein starter feed, clean fresh water daily, changed shavings daily, they are inside in the brooder, temp staying around 87 degrees. I had it at 92 and I noticed all of them staying away from the light and laying with their wings out, 87 seems to keep them all happy. Since I’ve brought them home, one had been falling on its side with its feet kicked out from under it like it completely lost balance and control. I haven’t noticed any unusual droppings. I came home tonight from dinner to find the same one laying with it’s head down in the corner barely breathing. The other panicked and stepped all over him so I took him out and it died. All others are so energetic and chirpy with no balancing issues. Is there something I could’ve done different? Since we brought them home the one seemed to walk and run eat and drink great but I’d catch it on its side every now and the. Sorry this is a lot, I feel like I let the little thing down.

Hi Summerrymer, welcome to Backyard Chickens!

I’m sorry to hear that your keet died. I just lost one yesterday and I’m still very sad about it. Mine was an older keet and I know what happened to it, but the younger ones are delicate as small babies. You can’t know for sure what happened to it without a necropsy (animal autopsy), and even then, sometimes you can’t find the cause of illness. In a young keet that’s been recently acquired, there are a lot of possibilities: shipping stress, shipping injury, bacterial and fungal diseases, coccidiosis, gut impaction, etc. Like My2butterlflies, I’ve also lost young keets to guy impactions from shavings, so I also use paper towels or puppy pads for the first few weeks to one month of age. In all young poultry, you should keep an eye out for coccidiosis, as it can easily be treated when caught early, but can be fatal if left untreated. So, get used to what normal droppings look like and keep an eye out for any change, as you don’t always see bloody droppings until late in the disease. I give my keets and chicks the Save a chick probiotics and/or a healthy edible 1-2 foot weed with root ball still attached (so they don’t get impacted from long grass pieces) to inoculate their gut with good microbes during their first week. I also start lightly sprinkling chick grit into their feed at that time to prevent impactions.

It’s good that you are watching the keets and adjusting things as they need - I hope that the rest of your new flock does well and that they stay healthy. Guineas can be a challenge, but they are a lot of fun as well.