I am currently raising guinea keets for my school as part of my job. I've inherited a few adult ones and took care of a surprise clutch of keets last summer, so I'm not super new to the work of raising birds, but certainly know enough to know when to ask for help.
I've incubated a dozen eggs, and we had 7 hatch with 2 frail ones dying early in. Now, we have 4 very healthy ones, and 1 with a twisted leg. I've identified it when it was about two weeks old and honestly didn't notice a twisted leg before then. They went straight from the incubator to a toweled brooder and then used a folding pet pen filled with multipurpose sand due to my wife's severe wood allergies while I was incubating and raising the keets at home until it was warm enough for me to drive them back to school.
I've read everything about sliding the tendon back in, taping, rehab, slings, and each time, the tendon just pops back out and its leg good progressively more twisted. I've isolated it for the past two weeks so that it could get caught up with no competition for food and vitamin water.
We're now at the point where they're at school and everyone has already noticed the one with the twisted leg. The issue is now whether to make a decision on its quality of life or if there's anything else we can do for it.
Honestly, if it weren't so full of vigor and willingness to catch up with the rest, it would have been a much easier decision to cull it sooner. At the same time, I know for a fact that it won't be able to support itself as it gets bigger and it'll likely be the first target the neighborhood hawks will pick up because it won't be able to keep up with the rest of the group.
I'm planning on taking it to a local bird vet, but I would appreciate the opinion and knowledge of those here!
I've incubated a dozen eggs, and we had 7 hatch with 2 frail ones dying early in. Now, we have 4 very healthy ones, and 1 with a twisted leg. I've identified it when it was about two weeks old and honestly didn't notice a twisted leg before then. They went straight from the incubator to a toweled brooder and then used a folding pet pen filled with multipurpose sand due to my wife's severe wood allergies while I was incubating and raising the keets at home until it was warm enough for me to drive them back to school.
I've read everything about sliding the tendon back in, taping, rehab, slings, and each time, the tendon just pops back out and its leg good progressively more twisted. I've isolated it for the past two weeks so that it could get caught up with no competition for food and vitamin water.
We're now at the point where they're at school and everyone has already noticed the one with the twisted leg. The issue is now whether to make a decision on its quality of life or if there's anything else we can do for it.
Honestly, if it weren't so full of vigor and willingness to catch up with the rest, it would have been a much easier decision to cull it sooner. At the same time, I know for a fact that it won't be able to support itself as it gets bigger and it'll likely be the first target the neighborhood hawks will pick up because it won't be able to keep up with the rest of the group.
I'm planning on taking it to a local bird vet, but I would appreciate the opinion and knowledge of those here!
