Guinea Split Wing?

[twsfarm]

Is this split wing? I've never seen it before and can't find any information on it in guineas. I have 2 that look like this. They are 11 days old. Pictures below.

 

[BantamLover21]

I think you might be thinking of angel wing, which is when the wing tip is twisted and sticks out to one side. It is particularly common in waterfowl. Split wing is when the axial feather on a wing is missing, causing a gap between the primary and secondary feathers. In older birds, split wing can look like angel wing from the outside, but in young, growing birds, angel wing is a likely bet.

Angel wing, sometimes also known as twisted wing, can sometimes be hereditary, but it can also be caused by improper nutrition in a bird's diet. I am not an expert on Guinea nutrition, but I will still ask, what are you feeding them? Your guineas' wing do appear to be somewhat afflicted by angel wing, but that could just be because they are growing in new feathers.

 

[twsfarm]

I'm feeding them Purina Game Bird Startena (30% protein).

I first thought it could be just the new feathers but it has been that way for a couple days. Of course I could just be paranoid.

 

[twsfarm]

After searching for angel wing in the Guinea forum I'm thinking it is just an awkward growth thing. I guess we will have to wait and see. Anyone else is welcome to chime in. Thanks!

 

[tandyl]

Hmm my light tan colored 2 week old keet has wings like this. I noticed they were different than the others but since it doesn't seem bothered by it, I wasn't concerned about it being a problem. I just assumed that variety may feather slightly differently.

 

[PeepsCA]

After searching for angel wing in the Guinea forum I'm thinking it is just an awkward growth thing. I guess we will have to wait and see. Anyone else is welcome to chime in. Thanks!

Yep, you're paranoid, lol, it's just an awkward stage they go thru as they grow in feathers. It's normal feather growth for that age of keet, fed high protein feed. I see it 500+ times a year

 

[twsfarm]

[COLOR=4B0082]Yep, you're paranoid, lol, it's just an awkward stage they go thru as they grow in feathers. It's normal feather growth for that age of keet, fed high protein feed. I see it 500+ times a year [/COLOR]

When do they typically "grow out of it"?

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: They "grow out of it" once the rest of the wing feathers grow in more and their wing muscles get a little stronger... it usually only lasts a couple of weeks, at most, in my keets. The high protein feed just happens to make a few of their flights grow faster than the rest of the wing feathers and their tiny little wings droop like that from the new wight they are packing around. So once they start fluttering around the brooder more, they start to build up their wing strength from the exercise, and the other feathers start to catch up you shouldn't see it any more. It's just one of several awkward stages these silly little guys go thru, lol.

 

[BIRDGIRL79]

I have a guinea keets that looks exactly like this. Now a few feathers toward his rump appear flipped on the ends. Had 15 other babies that never looked like that. Waiting to see what happens. I assumed maybe a birth defect but have also not been able to find any information.

 

[R2elk]

I have a guinea keets that looks exactly like this. Now a few feathers toward his rump appear flipped on the ends. Had 15 other babies that never looked like that. Waiting to see what happens. I assumed maybe a birth defect but have also not been able to find any information.

It is very common that keets will have what resembles split wing when the main wing feathers first come in. It is because their wing muscles haven't developed the strength to hold the feathers up at first. They do grow out of it.