Crippled Guinea Keet

[M777]

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.

This is what I'm seeing with mine.
Just one bird has this issue. It sounds like what you describe. Its bad. Both legs. Weirdly I didn't notice this until last week or so. Maybe it was occurring and I somehow didn't see it but now that the keat is 5 weeks now and has some size.
I was busy with the other Keats that were having issues too. I started with 6, and one by one, 4 died. They started declining and would appear to have a seizure and then die. No idea why. Maybe a bad batch?
The two I had left seemed fine and now this one has a problem with the rotated femur.
I thought it was the spraddle leg issue but what you describe is more spot on. Its now gotten bigger and all it can do is flop around and somehow it makes its way to the feeder and eats, it can get water but I fear this is just going to get much much worse. It will never be able to survive once it goes outside with my chickens and other Guinea fowl.
It appears to be languishing and suffering.
I feel terrible.
I've never had to put an animal down. But I fear that is the only thing I can do here.
I don't know how to humanely do this.
I live very rural and I don't have access to a vet that will work on birds.
If anyone wants to message me with suggestions I'm all ears.

 

[M777]

I ordered some guinea hatching eggs off of eBay this year. 5 of 13 hatched, and of those 3 look like they have this rotated femur deformity. Sigh, risk you take with eBay I guess. Two only slightly and can still walk normal, but one is really bad (of course the only white one out of the bunch). He eats voraciously and scoots around the brooder, but what quality of life? I’m really glad I found this thread so now I know what I’m facing. I think I will have to bite the bullet and put him down (humanely, sans anesthetizing drugs).

What did you end up doing?

 

[R2elk]

This is what I'm seeing with mine.
Just one bird has this issue. It sounds like what you describe. Its bad. Both legs. Weirdly I didn't notice this until last week or so. Maybe it was occurring and I somehow didn't see it but now that the keat is 5 weeks now and has some size.
I was busy with the other Keats that were having issues too. I started with 6, and one by one, 4 died. They started declining and would appear to have a seizure and then die. No idea why. Maybe a bad batch?
The two I had left seemed fine and now this one has a problem with the rotated femur.
I thought it was the spraddle leg issue but what you describe is more spot on. Its now gotten bigger and all it can do is flop around and somehow it makes its way to the feeder and eats, it can get water but I fear this is just going to get much much worse. It will never be able to survive once it goes outside with my chickens and other Guinea fowl.
It appears to be languishing and suffering.
I feel terrible.
I've never had to put an animal down. But I fear that is the only thing I can do here.
I don't know how to humanely do this.
I live very rural and I don't have access to a vet that will work on birds.
If anyone wants to message me with suggestions I'm all ears.

@PeepsCA hasn't been on BYC since Sept. 22, 2014.

If you need to cull a keet, you can use a pair of kitchen shears to snip its neck, cutting off its head.

 

[R2elk]

What did you end up doing?

@Frog Song Farm hasn't been on BYC since Dec. 24, 2020.

 

[M777]

@Frog Song Farm hasn't been on BYC since Dec. 24, 2020.

Apologies