Guineas dying from fatty liver disease

[Matisse188]

Just found another guinea dead. The last one had a necropsy and cause of death was fatty liver disease.

they all eat layer feed which I give to the chickens. And watermelon, which they love.

they free range for about 2 hours a day.
Turns out they are obese weighing in at 8 lbs.

Any ideas on how to get them to loose weight

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Just found another guinea dead. The last one had a necropsy and cause of death was fatty liver disease.

they all eat layer feed which I give to the chickens. And watermelon, which they love.

they free range for about 2 hours a day.
Turns out they are obese weighing in at 8 lbs.

Any ideas on how to get them to loose weight

Maybe take the watermelon out? Not sure how much sugar is in it though

 

[R2elk]

Just found another guinea dead. The last one had a necropsy and cause of death was fatty liver disease.

they all eat layer feed which I give to the chickens. And watermelon, which they love.

they free range for about 2 hours a day.
Turns out they are obese weighing in at 8 lbs.

Any ideas on how to get them to loose weight

Make sure you are not giving them BOSS or flax seed. Both are very high fat content foods. Give them more free range time to increase their activity.

 

[Sydney65]

Just found another guinea dead. The last one had a necropsy and cause of death was fatty liver disease.

they all eat layer feed which I give to the chickens. And watermelon, which they love.

they free range for about 2 hours a day.
Turns out they are obese weighing in at 8 lbs.

Any ideas on how to get them to loose weight

And take some pictures because I can't even picture a guinea weighing 8 lbs. this might help -https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome/fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome-in-poultry

 

[Sydney65]

And take some pictures because I can't even picture a guinea weighing 8 lbs. this might help -https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome/fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome-in-poultry

Well I've tried correcting it 3 xs and it still isn't coming up right..but there really is a site!

 

[Sydney65]

"associated with a surfeit of energy intake, regardless of the source, in birds whose exercise is limited. Additionally, this condition is observed primarily in females. With the initiation of egg production, the estrogen levels in the serum increase, as does the fat content in the liver. FLHS can be induced experimentally in layers and even male birds by administration of estrogen. This suggests that FLHS occurs more frequently in high-producing birds that presumably are producing more estrogen from active ovaries."
Layers with FLHS have increased blood levels of estrogen, osteocalcin, and leptin-like protein. There seems to be concomitant upregulation in bone turnover, which is significant in a laying hen that already relies on substantial daily flux of calcium in and out of the skeleton.
Fatty liver disorder also impairs calcium metabolism in the bird, thus affecting skeletal integrity and eggshell quality.

• Monitor body weight and daily feed intake.
• Substitute supplemental fat for carbohydrate, while keeping total energy stable.
• On farms with a history of FLHS, diets should include at least 0.3 ppm selenium.
  body weight and daily feed intake should be monitored. When potential problems are seen, remedial action to limit energy intake through the use of lower energy diets and/or change in feed management should be considered. Additionally, birds should be restricted from exposure to high temperatures.
  Experimentally, most attempts to prevent or treat the condition have been made through dietary modification. Substituting carbohydrate with supplemental fat, while not increasing the energy content of the diet, seems to be beneficial. Presumably such modification means the liver needs to synthesize less fat for yolk. Replacement of corn with other cereals, such as wheat and barley, is often beneficial. However, this substitution may reduce the dietary energy level or necessitate using additional fat to maintain isoenergetic conditions, two factors known to influence FLHS. A wide energyrotein ratio in the diet will aggravate FLHS.
  Various byproduct feeds such as distiller’s grains, fish meal, and alfalfa meal reduce the incidence of FLHS. Supplementation with selenium also has been shown to reduce FLHS, but the mode of action is unclear. When a farm has a history of FLHS, the diet should contain at least 0.3 ppm selenium, ideally as organic selenium, and up to 100 IU vitamin E/kg diet, with appropriate levels of an antioxidant such as ethoxyquin. There are reports of layers having greater incidence of fatty liver when fed chelated trace minerals versus conventional inorganic minerals. However, the relation between the increased organic minerals in layer diets and the incidence of FLHS is unknown.
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

[Sydney65]

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/fatty-liver-syndrome

 

[R2elk]

Well I've tried correcting it 3 xs and it still isn't coming up right..but there really is a site!

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...e/fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome-in-poultry

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Just found another guinea dead. The last one had a necropsy and cause of death was fatty liver disease.

they all eat layer feed which I give to the chickens. And watermelon, which they love.

they free range for about 2 hours a day.
Turns out they are obese weighing in at 8 lbs.

Any ideas on how to get them to loose weight

Wow! Was it described as hemorrhagic or non -hemorrhagic? Can you post the pathology report? What’s the percent protein in your layer feed? Are they all hens or are there cocks too? Have you been losing both sexes?

I sometimes feed my guineas and roosters layer feed, but not for more than a month at a time, and the guineas are free ranging at the same time. Regardless, given that diagnosis, I would definitely consider switching your guineas onto a different feed, like chick grower…

 

[R2elk]

Wow! Was it described as hemorrhagic or non -hemorrhagic? Can you post the pathology report? What’s the percent protein in your layer feed? Are they all hens or are there cocks too? Have you been losing both sexes?

I sometimes feed my guineas and roosters layer feed, but not for more than a month at a time, and the guineas are free ranging at the same time. Regardless, given that diagnosis, I would definitely consider switching your guineas onto a different feed, like chick grower…

It isn't the layer feed causing the problem.