Guinea Fowl acting strange... may be sick? Help!

[BoogieBug]

I noticed a disturbance in the normal pattern of the coop about a week or two ago. One of the hens began standing in the corner of the coop facing the house and squawking every morning at sunrise. Very unusual, but now I'm thinking she may have been trying to alert us to another issue.

I entered the coop to check on the water and feed and saw "Radar" pecking at the ground. I squatted down and started to pet her and realized something wasn't right. It's been years since she let me pet her. She slowly waddled away from me and I noticed her neck was drawn in to the point she almost look like she was hunched over. She seem lethargic. She's not sleeping up on the roost with the others, she sleeps down by the heat lamp, and she's not eating as much and is definitely not her lively engaging self.

I am currently out of town but a friend of mine is watching them and she is very concerned, as am I. My friend was able to pick Radar up and feel around her neck but she doesn't know what she's looking for.

While I was still home I tried to get a picture of her and this was the clearest I could get. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[azygous]

Hopefully, some guinea fowl folks will be by that are more tuned to the behavior of this species. It does appear this little girl does not feel well.

Have your friend feel the crop. Direct her to the right-center of the chest wall. If there's an issue with the crop, it may feel very full and spongy like a water balloon. Or it could feel very full and lumpy like a sack full of twigs and grass clippings. Neither is good.

When are you coming home? The crop needs to be checked first thing in the morning before the bird eats to be sure it's emptied properly overnight. If it hasn't, then you know there's a crop issue. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[BoogieBug]

Hopefully, some guinea fowl folks will be by that are more tuned to the behavior of this species. It does appear this little girl does not feel well.

Have your friend feel the crop. Direct her to the right-center of the chest wall. If there's an issue with the crop, it may feel very full and spongy like a water balloon. Or it could feel very full and lumpy like a sack full of twigs and grass clippings. Neither is good.

When are you coming home? The crop needs to be checked first thing in the morning before the bird eats to be sure it's emptied properly overnight. If it hasn't, then you know there's a crop issue. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you. I'll have her do that. We'll be headed home tomorrow.

 

[BoogieBug]

My friend called me this morning and informed me that Radar passed last night.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

My friend called me this morning and informed me that Radar passed last night.

How sad. I’m sorry

 

[azygous]

You must be feeling pretty helpless and even some guilt. Please try not to. Radar likely was too sick for intervention to have made a difference. I've very rarely experienced a sick bird that had the capacity to recover that another day made the difference between life and death.

If you are very concerned about what made Radar so sick, have your caretaker refrigerate the body (not freeze) and when you get home, you can locate an agricultural lab to do a necropsy. This will supply information that can educate you in the future care of your flock as well as show if there's a sinister virus that could affect more birds.

 

[mkeawsh]

My friend called me this morning and informed me that Radar passed last night.

I am so sorry

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

My friend called me this morning and informed me that Radar passed last night.

Just saw this thread - so sorry that you lost Radar! I dread leaving for vacation because I’m afraid something will happen to our animals while I’m gone. Whether you could have intervened or not, it’s hard to deal with the loss of your livestock.

 

[BoogieBug]

Thank you everyone for your kind words. They are greatly appreciated.

 

[GeeseMama]

So sorry for your loss