Help! Injured Guineas!!

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OK this is a new one for me. Last night something tried to get my Guineas'. One has a claw that is completely missing. He is hobbling around a little but not much & he can't keep up with the flock. In this situation, what is the best thing to do? Can they survive like this? Do I let nature take it's course???

I also have one where all of the feathers have been pulled off his chest and it's not just raw skin where they were pulled, it's open. He seems to be getting along fine. I put some Icthamol (sp) on it, which is a drawing agent/antibiotic. Any ideas?

These guineas are about 8-9 weeks old. We just put them in an outdoor dog kennel last week which is lined with poultry fencing and top is covered. It amazes me that predators can still get them.

Any input would be appreciated, Thanks!

 

[Cairina moschata]

Raccoons can reach their hands into 1" poultry netting and tear feathers and anything else they get their hands on. After learning the hard way, I put up 1/2" hardware cloth on the bottom 3 feet of my run which has helped. Also raccoons hate electric fence but that's a big project.
Regarding the injuries- Guineas are tough- I doubt missing a claw will set one back too much. He/she should be fine. Large open wounds can be a big problem in the summer due to flies/maggots. There are salves that you can apply to repel flies. And if you can't catch to guinea to apply the salve it's probably a good sign that he's doing just fine and all you need to do is keep an eye on it.

 

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Thank you so much for your reply. I have trapped 5 oppossum around our coop but have not seen in raccoons. This makes sense though! I just couldn't believe they could get to them with chain link fencing & poultry fencing lining it..wow!

So they can actually live with no claw? He is hobbling around on nothing but a stub. No bleeding on either Guinea. I have been able to rinse w/iodine/water and put some antibiotic on them both. We'll see what happens. Thanks again!

 

[Cairina moschata]

I may have misunderstood you the first time- are you saying he is missing an entire foot or a just a toe? I guess it doesn't really matter because there isn't anything you can do about it now anyway. They don't make guinea prosthetic legs that I've seen-haha. You can just rename him "Stumpy"

Even if he's missing a foot I bet he'll do fine as long as you don't clip his wings, they fly well so he can just flap around for mobility. He may be more prone to predator attacks in the future so might need to beef up defenses.

Like I was saying before 1/2" hardware cloth on the bottom 3 feet of the kennel will keep them from grabbing bird parts. It's pretty cheap and easy to install and it will go a long way in preventing this in the future. Also to prevent entry by digging you may want to bury the hardware cloth down 4-8" below ground level when you install it or put down an apron of hardware cloth flat on the ground around the perimeter of the kennel because animals will usually try to dig right at the base of the fence and will get frustrated if they are digging at metal and give up (hopefully). And if you really want to make a maximum security prison you can add a hot wires at 4 inches and 8 inches high around your kennel- if you search electric fence here on BYC forums there are some great instructions.
I've tried live traps around my coop but I'm not so sure it's a good idea to bait them near my coop because if I don't get them in the trap then I'm just drawing extra attention to my guineas. Anyway, all I've caught so far is my cat who is still mad at me.

Best wishes with Stumpy.
Jake

 

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Thanks & we'll go with Stumpy! The entire foot is gone. I don't clip wings so hopefully "Stumpy" will make it around ok!

I'll check into the hardware cloth. The critters did try to dig underneath the kennel but we had the floor lined with chain link fencing also.

Thanks again.

 

[toredano]

oh wow .. the whole foot?

I would think if it heals well and he used the stump to somewhat get around /balance he would develope a callus ..That would be ideal.
Or it would get raw again.Then you have a problem.
As long it doesnt get infected and heals well he should be ok.
Keep it clean and put mayeb some ointment and a bandage.. maybe a soft cloth on the bottom and tape in on there os he doesnt get dirt in it..
Thats what I would do..YMV



Petra

 

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All-Both guineas doing well this morning. All wounds staying clean!

Thanks for your input!!

 

[Lollipop]

Just wanna ad, coons will reach in and catch birds by the neck or head and pull as much as they can through the wire and eat it. Possums will to, but are not as good at it as coons, which are strong, determined, and smart. The hardware cloth is the way to go.......Pop