Help!! Asap!

[Poupoulles]

have 3 adult guineas- 2 males one female. Refuse their coop- sleep/live totally free range. The Female has apparently been sitting on eggs. Today suddenly hear piping and see a male guinea pecking a baby. Snatch up the baby and find a trail of dead, pecked little guineas (6 r 7). still have their egg tooth looking thing and those soft, just-out-of-egg feet. Two survivors, under a lamp wrapped in a towel. Used a little straw to give them some water. Then did a little sugar water. (?!) One has a peck injury. Both seem limp and shocky. n

What can I do else for them?

Dang guineas!!! Nothing but a pain from start to finish- and now this!!

 

[robin416]

You're pretty much doing what needs doing. Try to make certain the temp is high enough for them. Don't bother with water yet, they are not ready for it.

 

[Poupoulles]

thanks! Its not that I really want more guineas, but the "injustice" made me intervene and once I'm committed... They are both sleeping right now. One has a peck wound on its head that doesnt look too serious but is a cut- do i put anything on it?

Can you tell I am used to nice healthy chicks/poults/keets that come in the mail and only need a bit of cider vinegar as a pick me up? Too bad I have no broodies right now...

 

[robin416]

We all flip out when we see something like that, doesn't matter how long we've been raising birds.

You can dab some antibiotic ointment on the spot. It will help where bacteria are concerned and if the two pull through its little buddy won't find it so fascinating.

When keets are down its hard to get them back up again. Warming is paramount at this stage for their survival, more so than with chicks.

 

[Poupoulles]

One died. Dangit!!!

Other one seems ok- sleeping, then looking around then sleeping. Has not stood up yet. My Rottweiler is now emotionally involved.
Now there is the "raising just one critter" issue.

 

[kyle7630]

Where was the hen during this ordeal? Did you find the nest?

 

[Poupoulles]

I didnt find the nest and the hen and her mate were RIGHT THERE when we saw the one keet get pecked. In fact I am not sure if it was the mate or the other male who did the killing. But there was a trail of dead keets.
The second survivor slept all night and then was awake this morning but couldnt move its leg or side of the body at all, so i put it down.

I am really not sure what happened here. It seemed totally senseless and out of character.

 

[cracking up]

If she hatched them out and had a long way to go to find water or food, they start falling behind and then fall down. The males and females will peck their heads to try to get them up. I found a couple from my last hatch with blood on the top of their head, one was dead and the other was laying down and they were trying to make it walk. I took it away and it did fine. They just don't know what to do when something goes wrong.

 

[Poupoulles]

interesting... Maybe that is what happened. Well, its my fault since I wasnt paying any attention to the guineas so I have no idea where she put her nest. Since they had rejected the house I built them and kind of went off to do their own thing I washed my hands of them. But as much as they irritate me I still would have liked to see their keets grow up. I mean- its our farm, we're all in it together even if they do make me want to roll a grenade under their tree when they get going.
What a shame...

 

[PeepsCA]

The laying and breeding season is not over yet, and you may have another situation just like this in a month or so... so you might want be on the lookout for the Hen wandering off to a new nest. You may have more keets to rescue, or at least confine to a safe pen until the keets are old enough to steer clear of getting pecked to death.