Guineas fluffed feathers? sick?

[Verl]

Hey all!
I have 6 guineas that are 11 weeks old...
Last week one of them got really fluffed up neck feathers (like they stayed fluffed and crazy looking), and she started acting sick...would let me pick her up, wasnt eating or drinking very muh and would just lay down/not follow the rest of her buddies everywhere. she was also sleeping a lot.

Well, this week, she seems a lot perkier, is eating and drinking, and running around with the others.
But, my question is, now 5 of the 6 have really ruffled neck feathers all the time!
I have seen them ruffle their feathers when alarmed, but then they go back down.

What does this mean? I was wondering if maybe they were starting to molt? do guineas molt like chickens? I am clearly a new guinea mama.

Anyone have any insights?

 

[guineapeeps]

Hey all!
I have 6 guineas that are 11 weeks old...
Last week one of them got really fluffed up neck feathers (like they stayed fluffed and crazy looking), and she started acting sick...would let me pick her up, wasnt eating or drinking very muh and would just lay down/not follow the rest of her buddies everywhere. she was also sleeping a lot.

Well, this week, she seems a lot perkier, is eating and drinking, and running around with the others.
But, my question is, now 5 of the 6 have really ruffled neck feathers all the time!
I have seen them ruffle their feathers when alarmed, but then they go back down.

What does this mean? I was wondering if maybe they were starting to molt? do guineas molt like chickens? I am clearly a new guinea mama.

Anyone have any insights?

I was going to comment myself but then saw that someone who was much more knowledgeable than I had previously commented on a similar topic.
This was posted by PeepsCA in 2012 here on a BYC forum and thought I'd paste some of it here since it had such great info. I haven't seen peepsCA post on here recently but do appreciate all of the knowledge and info shared in prior posts!
The whole posting can be found here:

Backyardchickens.com/threads/what-are-the-stages-keets-to-adult.671014/

But here is the main part that answers your questions about molting and feather loss/growth:

Depending on the weather and time of year they were hatched they will typically start losing the down on their necks between 6 wks and 8 wks of age first before they lose it off of their heads (they go thru a very ugly awkward looking stage during this time with tiny pin feathers coming in on their neck, and usually just patches of down missing on their heads... LOL).

Again, depending on the weather they will molt their first set of baby feathers at around 6 wks to 8 wks of age, anddepending on their color, their markings and colors will change again as they start growing in their juvenile feathers. (They are unable to regulate their own body temp and need a heat source for warmth from hatch until 6 wks of age).

They start growing noticeable wattles and their casque (the bony growth on their head) at around 6 wks to 8 wks of age too. (And this is usually when I gradually wean my keets over to a high protein grower feed with 20%-22% protein).

Their wattles start turning red between 8 wks and 10 wks (and I've noticed the more greens and bugs they eat and the more sun they get, the faster their wattles turn red)

I consider my keets to be pullets and cockerels when they are 12 wks of age, but others may have a different opinion on this.

They typically lose their juvenile feathers and molt again at around 12 wks of age, but by 16 weeks they usually all have their full adult plumage and makings. (They can be gradually weaned over to a 16% protein layer feed starting at 12 wks of age and that can be their regular diet year round from that point on... plus free range time of course).

 

[R2elk]

I was going to comment myself but then saw that someone who was much more knowledgeable than I had previously commented on a similar topic.
This was posted by PeepsCA in 2012 here on a BYC forum and thought I'd paste some of it here since it had such great info. I haven't seen peepsCA post on here recently but do appreciate all of the knowledge and info shared in prior posts!
The whole posting can be found here:

Backyardchickens.com/threads/what-are-the-stages-keets-to-adult.671014/

But here is the main part that answers your questions about molting and feather loss/growth:

Depending on the weather and time of year they were hatched they will typically start losing the down on their necks between 6 wks and 8 wks of age first before they lose it off of their heads (they go thru a very ugly awkward looking stage during this time with tiny pin feathers coming in on their neck, and usually just patches of down missing on their heads... LOL).

Again, depending on the weather they will molt their first set of baby feathers at around 6 wks to 8 wks of age, anddepending on their color, their markings and colors will change again as they start growing in their juvenile feathers. (They are unable to regulate their own body temp and need a heat source for warmth from hatch until 6 wks of age).

They start growing noticeable wattles and their casque (the bony growth on their head) at around 6 wks to 8 wks of age too. (And this is usually when I gradually wean my keets over to a high protein grower feed with 20%-22% protein).

Their wattles start turning red between 8 wks and 10 wks (and I've noticed the more greens and bugs they eat and the more sun they get, the faster their wattles turn red)

I consider my keets to be pullets and cockerels when they are 12 wks of age, but others may have a different opinion on this.

They typically lose their juvenile feathers and molt again at around 12 wks of age, but by 16 weeks they usually all have their full adult plumage and makings. (They can be gradually weaned over to a 16% protein layer feed starting at 12 wks of age and that can be their regular diet year round from that point on... plus free range time of course).

@PeepsCA is the authority on guineas. Unfortunately she hasn't been on BYC since Dec 19, 2014. It is sad to not be able to get her input anymore. You can find much of her wisdom in the early posts in the Raising Guinea Fowl 101 thread.

 

[Verl]

Thank you so much! That is very helpful . I bet they are shedding their juvenile feathers!

I'm still not sure why my one girl was so sickly last week...i really thought something was seriously wrong with her!