My keet is not growing...

[brualy]

This year I bought 14 eggs from a lady I sold guineas to in the past. Out of those eggs I was able to hatch 8 keets! It's been a month and one of my babies is not growing while all the rest are getting so big. It is so precious to see how the bigger keets take the little one under their wing, they do not pick on it so that makes me very happy. Every morning I still give them scrambled eggs along with their meat bird crumbles which they absolutely love, including my little one. It scratches and eats with its siblings all the time too.

Have any of you seen something like this? Morning and night I feed the little one separately so it can get enough food but what else can I do? Thanks for your help!

 

[HuffleClaw]

When I had a chick that didn’t grow when the rest did, I found out it was Cocci. I haven’t yet had this happen in my guinea keets though. Good luck with the little guy!

 

[R2elk]

This year I bought 14 eggs from a lady I sold guineas to in the past. Out of those eggs I was able to hatch 8 keets! It's been a month and one of my babies is not growing while all the rest are getting so big. It is so precious to see how the bigger keets take the little one under their wing, they do not pick on it so that makes me very happy. Every morning I still give them scrambled eggs along with their meat bird crumbles which they absolutely love, including my little one. It scratches and eats with its siblings all the time too.

Have any of you seen something like this? Morning and night I feed the little one separately so it can get enough food but what else can I do? Thanks for your help!

Meat bird crumbles are not the proper feed for guinea keets. While the protein content is not that bad, the lysine, methionine and niacin concentrations are too low. If you cannot get a proper turkey or gamebird starter for them, an all flock feed (aka flock raiser) even at 20% protein is better for them than the meat bird feed.

You can help out with the niacin deficiency by getting a vitamin B complex and mixing it at the rate of 1/2 tablet or capsule dissolved in one gallon of water. Do not mix anything else in the solution and make it their only source of water. It should be made fresh daily.

Your runt can be due to genetics (parents too closely related) or as @HuffleClaw has suggested it may be due to coccidiosis. Treating all of them with Corid will help if it is coccidiosis and will not hurt them if it is not.

 

[brualy]

Update: Thankfully my little one does not have an infection, it is just going to be a wee one. Now... how am I going to keep it safe and help it have a long, happy life? I know guineas do not like to be alone so I cannot keep it in a separate coop. It's siblings snuggle with it and protect it but once they are allowed to venture out my only choice is to keep this one inside the coop.

To help it realize it needs to be high for safety, I have put it on the purch. I am not sure if it has the strength to fly up there. Any words of advice is greatly appreciated - I will do anything to keep this little one safe, happy and healthy!