Guinea Hen with diarrhea and soiled vent

[Sydney65]

Ps - use acv in plastic or rubber containers only, use with moderation, & never when it's extremely hot, as it can contribute to heat stress. ACV also limits the availability of calcium needed by hens to lay eggs.

 

[Grojo111]

It seems most use Safeguard (fenbendazole). When I first started out, I was told Ivermectin pour on. It takes a long time to get through a bottle, so I'm still using it.
Many prefer that Safeguard is added to water supply. If I had 100 birds, I might prefer that as well. I have 23 guinea, and have no problem applying ivermectin topically to the skin neck.
Though both are broadspectrum, Safeguard is specific to internal infestations, where as Ivermectin can treat some internal and external parasites, inclucing scaley mites. Dosage 0.1 ml per 1 pound of body weight.
Both are used off label on poultry, both require a period of time between usage and when you can resume eating the eggs.
Hope that helps

Thanks for the advice. Now if I could only get her to step up on a scale! Is there a dewormer that's added to the water that would work for just two Guineas? I'm trying to get them to eat pumpkin seeds, and ACV is supposed to drive out the worms, but I still don't know for sure what's going on.
She is doing better, eating well and acting normal. Maybe the ACV and probiotics in the water helped. I also gave her some minced garlic in their food last night. This morning was the first time her poop looked pretty normal. Still has the dirty vent, but it's not wet looking like it was. I keep sneaking up on her trying to spray her vent with garlic spray, but she's pretty smart. I refreshed their dust bath and added a little sand and ash, but she rarely uses it, while the other one bathes every day.
The battle rages on! Thanks again.

 

[Grojo111]

Ps - use acv in plastic or rubber containers only, use with moderation, & never when it's extremely hot, as it can contribute to heat stress. ACV also limits the availability of calcium needed by hens to lay eggs.

Thanks for the info. I've been putting 3/4 tbs in 1 quart water in a separate plastic bowl, and their regular water bowl has probiotics and electrolytes. I started the ACV on Saturday, and was going to do it for a week based on something I read here. It is in the low 90's today, but they're in the shade. She hasn't laid any eggs in a couple of weeks now since this all started.
They get a wide variety of foods, including organic All Flock Crumbles, scratch, romaine lettuce, cooked peas, watermelon, and some sow thistle from the yard. Should I stop the ACV now?
Thanks again.

 

[GuineaMania]

I heard oregano oil can be used as a natural de-wormer without egg withdrawal. I've never tried it though. Good luck with your guinea!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for the advice. Now if I could only get her to step up on a scale! Is there a dewormer that's added to the water that would work for just two Guineas? I'm trying to get them to eat pumpkin seeds, and ACV is supposed to drive out the worms, but I still don't know for sure what's going on.
She is doing better, eating well and acting normal. Maybe the ACV and probiotics in the water helped. I also gave her some minced garlic in their food last night. This morning was the first time her poop looked pretty normal. Still has the dirty vent, but it's not wet looking like it was. I keep sneaking up on her trying to spray her vent with garlic spray, but she's pretty smart. I refreshed their dust bath and added a little sand and ash, but she rarely uses it, while the other one bathes every day.
The battle rages on! Thanks again.

Since you can't catch her, it would be hard to direct oral dose her with a dewormer or apply the Pour On which requires handling too.

There's Safeguard Aquasol, that goes in the water, but I believe you need a total flock weight of 22lbs in order to get the proper dosing correct.

So! I think I'd try Safeguard Mash (link below) or use Wormout Laying Hen Solution (goes in water).
These may be the easier options for you to try since it seems she's determined not to be caught/handled.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/safeguard-mash-zero-day-egg-withdrawal.1254653/

https://jedds.com/products/laying-h...Q1qCkGLXA2rzaR6xeo3jtOfw3nW382Zm4EooJ65_uDLLO

 

[Sydney65]

Going back through reading this & wondering if we're on the right track. Have you actually seen worms? I'm not sure that was even you're original concern. You said she lays eggs infrequently-how old is she? And by infrequently, do you mean she's always locked in so you would know, or she free ranges, so infrequently do you find them?
Although for most of us, it's diff to find a vet to tx poultry, once I got through to the receptionist that I wasn't asking for tx & worms are worms & coccidia is coccidia whether in a bird or a dog, & insisted she ask the vet, hel happily tested for me.
I'm going to try to pull @R2elk in on this - bc I'm wondeing if-
@ 90° out, she isn't just drinking a lot of water & eating less bc she's hot, causing loose stools. Pretty sure he'll tell you no ACV. I'm just not convinced it's round worms if you're not seeing them, and if it were coccidia (totally diff tx) * in my experience* the decline was very rapid, even in an adult. I've not experienced worms.
If you choose to treat for worms, it's not going to harm them. Some do so as a preventative, some will scream that you shouldn't..
As for weighing a guinea fowl, "Regular" guinea = 2-3 lb. I do handle my birds a lot, and my jumbos are never the 4-7 lbs cited. I think jumbos are typically raised as meat birds,& mine are not, so they're slightly bigger but not bulky. Conversely, I have regular hens who are very petite.
Here is dosage schedule: note LD50 indicates the lethal dose. The LD50 of Safeguard is high, meaning it would take a major overdose to be harmful.
https://poultrydvm.com/condition/capillaria-worms

 

[Grojo111]

Since you can't catch her, it would be hard to direct oral dose her with a dewormer or apply the Pour On which requires handling too.

There's Safeguard Aquasol, that goes in the water, but I believe you need a total flock weight of 22lbs in order to get the proper dosing correct.

So! I think I'd try Safeguard Mash (link below) or use Wormout Laying Hen Solution (goes in water).
These may be the easier options for you to try since it seems she's determined not to be caught/handled.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/safeguard-mash-zero-day-egg-withdrawal.1254653/

https://jedds.com/products/laying-h...Q1qCkGLXA2rzaR6xeo3jtOfw3nW382Zm4EooJ65_uDLLO

Thank you very much.

 

[Grojo111]

Going back through reading this & wondering if we're on the right track. Have you actually seen worms? I'm not sure that was even you're original concern. You said she lays eggs infrequently-how old is she? And by infrequently, do you mean she's always locked in so you would know, or she free ranges, so infrequently do you find them?
Although for most of us, it's diff to find a vet to tx poultry, once I got through to the receptionist that I wasn't asking for tx & worms are worms & coccidia is coccidia whether in a bird or a dog, & insisted she ask the vet, hel happily tested for me.
I'm going to try to pull @R2elk in on this - bc I'm wondeing if-
@ 90° out, she isn't just drinking a lot of water & eating less bc she's hot, causing loose stools. Pretty sure he'll tell you no ACV. I'm just not convinced it's round worms if you're not seeing them, and if it were coccidia (totally diff tx) * in my experience* the decline was very rapid, even in an adult. I've not experienced worms.
If you choose to treat for worms, it's not going to harm them. Some do so as a preventative, some will scream that you shouldn't..
As for weighing a guinea fowl, "Regular" guinea = 2-3 lb. I do handle my birds a lot, and my jumbos are never the 4-7 lbs cited. I think jumbos are typically raised as meat birds,& mine are not, so they're slightly bigger but not bulky. Conversely, I have regular hens who are very petite.
Here is dosage schedule: note LD50 indicates the lethal dose. The LD50 of Safeguard is high, meaning it would take a major overdose to be harmful.
https://poultrydvm.com/condition/capillaria-worms

Thanks again. You are correct in that I haven't actually seen any worms, and am now leaning towards mites, due to the soiled vent and watery poop. She is doing much better and acting normally. I did add the ACV to their water for 4 days, but have stopped now, although I've added probiotics to the water for the past 5 days, and mixed some minced garlic into their greens to help in case it's mites. She's a big bird, but I have no idea on her weight. We've had them for 3 years, and I thought they were male and female, although I've never seen them mating at all. She has always laid sporadically, and usually for just a couple of months in spring, which might mean she's getting older. I do hate to treat for something on a hunch, so I'm still watching and trying different natural approaches.
Here's an older pic. Winnie is the white one. Can you tell the sex by looking?
I really appreciate the info. Everyone here have been very helpful.

 

[Grojo111]

I heard oregano oil can be used as a natural de-wormer without egg withdrawal. I've never tried it though. Good luck with your guinea!

Thank you kindly.