Crippled Guinea Keet

[cgmccary]

I am increasing my Guinea flock by 16. I have 14 adults. I have a keet that is about 5 weeks old in a group of 6. It was a late hatcher and had bad splayed legs from the beginning. I did the band-aid but it has not gotten much better. One of its legs goes to the side. It is not roosting on the pole with the others but stays on the ground. I figure it needs its leg strength to get airborne. Otherwise, the keet eats and is feathering normally.

My Guineas free range, and I am wondering if this Guinea will make it. They have the choice to stay in a spacious coop but it. I have a blind hen that stays in the coop. Am I prolonging a life that isn't going to be a good one? Does anyone have a similar experience where a Guinea with a leg deformity made it? Legs are such an important aspect of a Guinea. This keet seems to run around more on its belly. It gets around OK but just not as fast.

 

[PeepsCA]

Leg out to the side sounds like a rotated femur issue, not a splayed leg. Splayed legs are usually easily corrected because they are usually caused by an injury and will heal fine if braced soon enough, but that is not usually the case with a rotated femur which is usually a genetic deformity, not an injury. Rotated femur is a painful condition for the bird to live with, and it only gets worse as the bird gains weight with age/growth. Unless you want to pay for the bird to have costly corrective surgery done by an avian vet, IMO it is probably best to put the bird out of it's misery...

Sorry I could not be of more help... but I have tried and failed to help several keets over the past couple of years with this condition. After a few days of watching them suffer with no response to the therapy and braces, I just put them down.

Also another thing to consider is that since a rotated femur is usually a genetic problem, if that bird is allowed to suffer thru life you then run the risk of that bird breeding and producing many keets with the same issue.

 

[zazouse]

Quote:
I totally agree with you.
Sad as it is sometimes we have to do what is best for the animal even if it breaks our heart

 

[cgmccary]

Thank you. I will humanely put it down.

On a sad note, I am down to 13 adults. I actually saw a car run down one of my male Guineas this morning. After the deed, I think they looked up and seen that I had witnessed them doing it.

 

[livenwpeeps]

I third what the others have said. A rotated femur will never get better. It will only get worse as the keet gets bigger. You did the right thing.

I feel your pain with the male that got hit by a car. I live on 900 acres and where is the most favorite place the guineas like to stay ...... is in the road. The road is my biggest preditor. If I could re-do my coop and run I would build it further away from the road AND make it bigger!!! LOL!!!

 

[Colettedre]

My Guinea's head for the road also - we live on a back road and darned if some of the cars don't speed up when they see the flock head for the road. I do not understand this since I always stop for chickens and geese... and turtles....well and sometimes frogs in the road...

Sorry to hear you lost one to the road demons.

I have also had a keet with the same problem, I had to put the sweet thing down - darned if it was not the most personable of the bunch too.

 

[MammaBear]

I am so glad that I found this thread!! I also have a keet that has the same problem. Poor little one.

Thanks for the info.

 

[elieugene6]

I have to be the odd one out. I have one that has crippled feet. It is unable to walk. I normally put the birds down but there are a few that just have this incredible will to live that I am just unable to do it unless they get bad. This keet now is a juvenile with feathers and will actually use its wings to get around. Its favorite companion is actually a older mille fluer d'uccle cockeral that had splayed leg but I didn't notice until it was to late to fix. It was my first and last experience with 50+ chicks. I can't pay as close attention to them with that many in one area. They are good friends and both flap to get around. They don't really like to leave the coop but I have created little spots for them to hide if someone is bothering them but the chicks they grew up with don't pick on them at all. I even found them dust bathing together just outside the door the other day.

I have put down a lot of chicks with foot problems. With me it just depends on whether or not I can see that will to live. If it has that will and it is something that I can afford to keep despite the uselessness for breeding I will let it have a chance. You do need to think of down the road though.

 

[Vaughnr007]

Wow, what a thread! I bought 26 Royal Purple keets. I bult a large coop 8'x26' and kept them in there for 7 weeks. I always intended to free range so I let them all (down to 22 for various reasons) out. We live 400' from the road. there are woods behind us, 1000' of pasture to the right and another 1000' in front of us. Where do the guineas go? NOT into the pasture or the woods. A week later, I'm down to 10. One car wiped out 5 and left one injured(Gimpy is alive and hard to pick out from the rest of them.
So I started to only let 5-6 out at a time. Did that for another 6 weeks during which they established a grazing pattern INSIDE the fence and not across the road. All was good until egg laying. Since then they've stayed to their pattern returning to the coop area around noon and again in the evening. They always returned to the coop at night.
I locked one out because he insisted staying on top of the coop. I found a lot of feathers the next morning.
Down to nine. One hen layed 24 eggs in the coop but I stole 14 and hatched them in the incubator. Momma hatched 7 of the 10 eggs and was extremely protective of her kids(keets). One just died and I don't know why. But I decided to try to integrate 1 of the incubator keets to Momma. She took it as her own.
I left the door to the coop opened but put a 6" board across the entrance. this allowed all of the adults to come and go as they pleased until lockdown. I had to add another 6" board because Momma insisted they all go for a walk. When 3 of the 7 was able to jump up to the top board and then join Momma, I decided it was time to let them all out. It's
been a pure pleasure watching them grow. They're about 7 weeks old now, stay close to Momma and follow the rest of the guineas.1,2,3.. yep 7 adults and 1, 2, 3..7 keets chasing grasshoppers
Two other hens bult nests in the tall grass by the creek. I constantly checked them every day and I think that's why varmints got them. Down to 7 with two again missing bed check. I located one with about 25 eggs and that is the only time I've been close to the nest. She's alive because of her call and the roo talking back. Will the varmints find her even though I've stayed away? If eggs hatch, will she and her keets join the rest of the group to tour the pattern or establish a second group? After brooding for 4 weeks by the creek, will Creekmom return to the coop at night with her brood? I hope so. A lot to learn , a lot of mistakes, disappointments, BUT it's been worth it to watch Momma and her 7 kid..keets grazing through the goat pasture.
I could have avoided most of my mistakes from the advice of many members of this forum BUT I had to do it my way.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Wow, what a thread! I bought 26 Royal Purple keets. I bult a large coop 8'x26' and kept them in there for 7 weeks. I always intended to free range so I let them all (down to 22 for various reasons) out. We live 400' from the road. there are woods behind us, 1000' of pasture to the right and another 1000' in front of us. Where do the guineas go? NOT into the pasture or the woods. A week later, I'm down to 10. One car wiped out 5 and left one injured(Gimpy is alive and hard to pick out from the rest of them.
So I started to only let 5-6 out at a time. Did that for another 6 weeks during which they established a grazing pattern INSIDE the fence and not across the road. All was good until egg laying. Since then they've stayed to their pattern returning to the coop area around noon and again in the evening. They always returned to the coop at night.
I locked one out because he insisted staying on top of the coop. I found a lot of feathers the next morning.
Down to nine. One hen layed 24 eggs in the coop but I stole 14 and hatched them in the incubator. Momma hatched 7 of the 10 eggs and was extremely protective of her kids(keets). One just died and I don't know why. But I decided to try to integrate 1 of the incubator keets to Momma. She took it as her own.
I left the door to the coop opened but put a 6" board across the entrance. this allowed all of the adults to come and go as they pleased until lockdown. I had to add another 6" board because Momma insisted they all go for a walk. When 3 of the 7 was able to jump up to the top board and then join Momma, I decided it was time to let them all out. It's
been a pure pleasure watching them grow. They're about 7 weeks old now, stay close to Momma and follow the rest of the guineas.1,2,3.. yep 7 adults and 1, 2, 3..7 keets chasing grasshoppers
Two other hens bult nests in the tall grass by the creek. I constantly checked them every day and I think that's why varmints got them. Down to 7 with two again missing bed check. I located one with about 25 eggs and that is the only time I've been close to the nest. She's alive because of her call and the roo talking back. Will the varmints find her even though I've stayed away? If eggs hatch, will she and her keets join the rest of the group to tour the pattern or establish a second group? After brooding for 4 weeks by the creek, will Creekmom return to the coop at night with her brood? I hope so. A lot to learn , a lot of mistakes, disappointments, BUT it's been worth it to watch Momma and her 7 kid..keets grazing through the goat pasture.
I could have avoided most of my mistakes from the advice of many members of this forum BUT I had to do it my way.

Wow - that’s quite the story Vaughnr007! I really hope that your hen on the nest makes it! I’ve read so so many posts about losing hens on nests, that I try to make mine lay in the coop. That’s also not without risk, as I’ve had snakes invade the coop to attack the keets and hens.