3 Week old guinea keat not doing well - off balanced.

[Debbienmousey]

I'm pretty sure this belongs here since it's about a guinea keat but it is also health related.

We hatched 7 keats on May 3rd and they were doing great, they passed their 3 week birthday, but on Memorial Day when I was cleaning out their cage I noticed one of the lavender keats was kind of hobbling around and not standing very straight. I picked him up and his wings seemed to have no reflexes. (I would spread his wings apart and then let them go, they'd just hang there)

Later that night I noticed him on his back kicking out his feet not able to get up. When he gets on his back/side his wings (Mainly the right wing) spreads out and he gets stuck. Mom and I tried to wrap a piece of cloth around his body like a splint last night but by this morning it was off. We wrapped him up again today, better than last night we thought, but he still got out of it.

He's interested in food still, I believe he's drinking, but he can't really walk without falling over. It seems as if he's off-balance.

I'm 100% lost on this one. The keats get a 22%-26% (I forget what it is exactly) game bird starter, they have a pan of dirt for grit and dust bathing, they get fresh water everyday, and I'm pretty sure they have enough room. (Although they are out growing their cage and once we can figure out what's wrong with this guy we'll be moving them to a larger cage.) They also have a nice heat lamp which keeps them very toasty.

If you have any idea what might be wrong with him please post. I hate losing a keat, especially a lavender. Thank you in advance

 

[Munchies]

I'm sorry, but seperate him immediately from your other keets and other game birds. He will eventually die, there is not much you can do for him.

To prevent further deaths, make sure you sterilize all the waterers, run them through a dish washer twice. You will need to change their waterers often for the next few weeks just in case.

 

[Debbienmousey]

Thank you Munchies! I have separated him and I'll make sure I clean the waterers good.

He is doing better though. Spends more of his time eating, drinking and walking around now then sleeping.

Thanks again

 

[Munchies]

Good to hear your bird is better, maybe you caught it in time.

Your birds will get that from drinking from a waterer that has not been cleaned in a long time or something died in it.

Edit: When you refill your waterer, feel the inside with one clean finger, if it feels slimy, wash it out, before filling it.

 

[Debbienmousey]

Thanks for telling me what causes it

Yes, I'll make sure I always clean them very well from now on.

Thank you again

 

[Munchies]

For the record it's a yeast problem. When guinea drink, they spill a little of the feed in their mouth into the water, water and grains in nice warm environment ferments causing yeast slime inside waterer, you add fresh water and food and yeast continues to grow inside waterer, acidity of the water eventually goes high enough you might as well be filling the waterer with Pepsi or Beer. The poor birds basically dehydrate trying to sweat it out (the out spread wings and falling over). They eventually pass out gasping for air and die with a full crop.

Keeping waterer as far from the heat source as possible may slow the process down, but cleaning your waterers just makes more sense.

 

[Debbienmousey]

Wow! Thanks for the info.

As a side note, if this happens again should I provide the keat with fresh water but hold off on the food for a day?

And would this be less likely to happen if the keats lived outside with a mom without a heat lamp? Or would it just depend on the temperature outside?

 

[jobmcd]

Thanks for all the info, I just got on BYC to see if I could find what's going on with my lavendar keet, same exact thing, off balance, gasping for air as it appears. The poor thing, I've been massaging it's crop, it's been pooing very little, but pooing in the least bit, it's umbilical cord doesn't look all that great compared to the others.

Thanks again for the yeast info!!!

Rebecca

 

[jobmcd]

Quote:
Hey, a Marylander, don't see much of them on here!!!

Rebecca
Baltimore

 

[Munchies]

Quote:
No kidding, if I remember correctly there are only three or four NPIP registered breeders of guinea fowl in all of MD.

I'm absolutely positive there are lot of guinea flocks in Maryland, but mostly been selling to PA and WV since I have had keets.