First time raising Guinea Keets have a pasty butt ?

[johnsonhillfarm]

I have 9 keets that will be a week old tomorrow and they are doing great. Metzer farms sent vitamins for their water and they all had the runs the first day they were here so stopped that right away. I check their butts each day and have 1 that had a little dried poop and another that had a lot of crusty poop all around the vent, but a lot of it. She did not seem sick or upset, but I took a warm cloth and a q-tip to try and get the poop off. Got most of it off and then using a q tip dabbed a little coconut oil on the vent area. Last night she seemed a little slower and not as quick to come eat goodies out of my hand as the others did, granted her butt was a bit wet (I dried the best I could and for their brooder, they have the ecoglow, and then I have a heating pad on underneath half of the bin the brooder is in and this seems to be the perfect temp for them. They are responding well to it. I checked her butt and it looked a bit red and irritated so I gently put a little more coconut oil on to soothe and she hopped back in with the others. I checked on them every 2 hours last night and she seems fine. Just wondering if I did this right and if there is anything more I can do to help her. She still has some stuck around the vent but did not want to stress her or cause more irritation to take more off at this time.

Here is a video of them. They are so cute!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=336476628135403

 

[red horse ranch]

The main thing to worry about is if the vent is open where the keet can poop. Just be careful that the keet doesn't get too wet when you clean it. They will chill and die easily if that happens. I'm speaking from experience unfortunately.
I don't see any problem with the coconut oil.

 

[johnsonhillfarm]

The main thing to worry about is if the vent is open where the keet can poop. Just be careful that the keet doesn't get too wet when you clean it. They will chill and die easily if that happens. I'm speaking from experience unfortunately.
I don't see any problem with the coconut oil.

Thank you!

 

[admiralbird]

I have 9 keets that will be a week old tomorrow and they are doing great. Metzer farms sent vitamins for their water and they all had the runs the first day they were here so stopped that right away. I check their butts each day and have 1 that had a little dried poop and another that had a lot of crusty poop all around the vent, but a lot of it. She did not seem sick or upset, but I took a warm cloth and a q-tip to try and get the poop off. Got most of it off and then using a q tip dabbed a little coconut oil on the vent area. Last night she seemed a little slower and not as quick to come eat goodies out of my hand as the others did, granted her butt was a bit wet (I dried the best I could and for their brooder, they have the ecoglow, and then I have a heating pad on underneath half of the bin the brooder is in and this seems to be the perfect temp for them. They are responding well to it. I checked her butt and it looked a bit red and irritated so I gently put a little more coconut oil on to soothe and she hopped back in with the others. I checked on them every 2 hours last night and she seems fine. Just wondering if I did this right and if there is anything more I can do to help her. She still has some stuck around the vent but did not want to stress her or cause more irritation to take more off at this time.

Here is a video of them. They are so cute!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=336476628135403

I have raised both guineas and chickens for over a decade. Guineas are much more sensitive to bacterial infection than chickens. For example, that water dish has to be CLEANED, not just rinsed, a couple times daily. (I learned the hard way) It looks like you did the right things so far. If it's warm enough and you can put them in a pen on the grassy ground outside, they can begin to peck at the healthy things that will seed their gut with good bacteria. But you can't let them out like chicks. They run too fast! In the past, before Bush Sr. I would have a pack of antibiotic powder on hand to put in their water in case I saw the slightest evidence of sluggishness. (Now you can't buy the powders at farm stores. You either let your entire flock die in short order, or pay for a very expensive vet visit, thank you Mr. Stupid President) And actually, just coming to my memory now, I have put my hatched guineas on the medicated chick feed "just in case" for fear of a sudden deadly infection. But better than that, letting them peck outside (or bringing in a nice weed with roots and dirt attached) and maybe putting a little vinegar with the mother in their water, will help.

 

[johnsonhillfarm]

I have raised both guineas and chickens for over a decade. Guineas are much more sensitive to bacterial infection than chickens. For example, that water dish has to be CLEANED, not just rinsed, a couple times daily. (I learned the hard way) It looks like you did the right things so far. If it's warm enough and you can put them in a pen on the grassy ground outside, they can begin to peck at the healthy things that will seed their gut with good bacteria. But you can't let them out like chicks. They run too fast! In the past, before Bush Sr. I would have a pack of antibiotic powder on hand to put in their water in case I saw the slightest evidence of sluggishness. (Now you can't buy the powders at farm stores. You either let your entire flock die in short order, or pay for a very expensive vet visit, thank you Mr. Stupid President) And actually, just coming to my memory now, I have put my hatched guineas on the medicated chick feed "just in case" for fear of a sudden deadly infection. But better than that, letting them peck outside (or bringing in a nice weed with roots and dirt attached) and maybe putting a little vinegar with the mother in their water, will help.

Thank you so much for all these tips! We are in Texas so it is hot enough for sure. Was not sure I could take them out already so had not tried that. I am changing the puppy pads and cleaning out water and food every 2-3 hours. I know that is excessive, but I enjoy keeping their area clean and I also have them In our home so it is keeping them from getting stinky. I have them on game bird starter right now. Do they make a medicated for game bird as well?

 

[admiralbird]

There is no medicated game bird food as far as I know. Really, the medicated foods should be avoided unless you see a hint of a problem, which you DO have. For example, my order from Tractor Supply this year HAD a problem. A dozen chicks ended up dying before I got the medicated food, and I learned the hatchery had a problem. ...sigh. (no recourse there) Keep a very keen eye on those butts, and if you need medicated food just get the medicated baby chick food and mix it in. If you take them outside please just stay with them! A half hour to an hour is just fine for them to peck in the good healthy dirt. I don't know how experienced you are with little chicks but the predators are horrible and you can lose everybody in an instant. Years ago I made six panels that I still use. Just frames with half inch hardware cloth. In springtime I zip tie them together, two for the "roof" and set it up on a grassy area where I put the chicks in an I sit there and read or whatever while they experience the environment. I never let them alone. If you had an old hamster cage, or something like that without a bottom, that would do too. Just let them in the grass and dirt.

It sounds like you are being very careful with cleanliness and that's commendable. Better than I have ever done. I love my guineas and cry when that darn fox takes one, but that is another stage of life you will have to adjust to. Best of luck.

 

[Let There Be Light]

Last year I had a guinea keet that was constipated and her bottom was swollen and purple. Every day I had to give her a warm water bath with coconut oil so she could poop. I dried her as much as possible after each bath and put a warm teddy bear under a heat lamp with her and her friends. After a while she got better and grew up to be a very healthy guinea!
She's gone now, sadly. Either because of a coyote, or she and her sisters moved in with our neighbors. (They mysteriously all of a sudden got female guineas now! LOL)

 

[johnsonhillfarm]

There is no medicated game bird food as far as I know. Really, the medicated foods should be avoided unless you see a hint of a problem, which you DO have. For example, my order from Tractor Supply this year HAD a problem. A dozen chicks ended up dying before I got the medicated food, and I learned the hatchery had a problem. ...sigh. (no recourse there) Keep a very keen eye on those butts, and if you need medicated food just get the medicated baby chick food and mix it in. If you take them outside please just stay with them! A half hour to an hour is just fine for them to peck in the good healthy dirt. I don't know how experienced you are with little chicks but the predators are horrible and you can lose everybody in an instant. Years ago I made six panels that I still use. Just frames with half inch hardware cloth. In springtime I zip tie them together, two for the "roof" and set it up on a grassy area where I put the chicks in an I sit there and read or whatever while they experience the environment. I never let them alone. If you had an old hamster cage, or something like that without a bottom, that would do too. Just let them in the grass and dirt.

It sounds like you are being very careful with cleanliness and that's commendable. Better than I have ever done. I love my guineas and cry when that darn fox takes one, but that is another stage of life you will have to adjust to. Best of luck.

Thanks so much! I only have one now who has it and it is collecting around the vent rather than on it so just using a q tip and coconut oil to gently get off as much as I can without stressing her out too much. She got too stressed when I used the cloth. SO far all doing well and getting big. I am not sure I am comfortable letting them outside just yet. We are building their coop right now and really thinking about all aspects of predators. Amazingly, we have not found one snake on our property since we have lived here and have a lot of deer and rabbits. Our neighbors have a flock of them and so far their worst enemy has been trucks driving too fast down our road. I get very attached to every single animal we have so that is not going to be an easy thing to deal with.