Help! My baby meet keeps rolling into its back!

[Birdladyskeleyss]

Ok so this is my first time helping to finish hatching these guinea keets out. I say finish bc I had a duck sitting on them and she kept throwing eggs out of the nest that were really like hours close to hatching. Anyways fast forward I have a keet that is well into a week old and I keep finding it rolled over on its back and it stays there like that it almost died I think earlier today it was eating and drinking fine that last few days what would cause it to do this?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ok so this is my first time helping to finish hatching these guinea keets out. I say finish bc I had a duck sitting on them and she kept throwing eggs out of the nest that were really like hours close to hatching. Anyways fast forward I have a keet that is well into a week old and I keep finding it rolled over on its back and it stays there like that it almost died I think earlier today it was eating and drinking fine that last few days what would cause it to do this?

Welcome To BYC

What are you feeding the Keets?

Are the Keets still with the duck? Do you provide heat for them?
Photos of the brooder/housing would be good along with telling us what the temperatures are on the cool and warm side.

Rolling on the back is often a neurological symptom. Give the Keet 400IU Vitamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily along with a bit of egg to help with the uptake of E.

 

[Birdladyskeleyss]

No keets are inside the house I started them off in incubator for the rest of their time . Brooder is a cardboard box with paper towel in the bottom food and waterer are provided. This chick in particular has also had issues with pasty butt and its eyes getting stuck shut I have put Vaseline on them and the little vent to help but eyes still having trouble and when it stands it is really out of it. Not sure why it has gone downhill from doing totally fine. It now has a box mate who was born early this morning who is doing great other than splay leg hasn’t gotten to its feet yet. I do have a warm side and towel over the other side to get out of the heat. Also am new here so idk how to add pictures yet lol

 

[Birdladyskeleyss]

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Brooder is a cardboard box with paper towel in the bottom food and waterer are provided. This chick in particular has also had issues with pasty butt and its eyes getting stuck shut I have put Vaseline on them and the little vent to help but eyes still having trouble and when it stands it is really out of it. Not sure why it has gone downhill from doing totally fine. It now has a box mate who was born early this morning who is doing great other than splay leg hasn’t gotten to its feet yet. I do have a warm side and towel over the other side to get out of the heat.

What are you feeding?
How long has it been since hatch?

Please get to the temperature of the warm side and cool side of the brooder?

You may need to grind the feed up to almost a powder consistency for the first few days if the particles are too large.

If one has splay leg, that needs to be addressed asap, the sooner to you try to correct it the better the chances are for survival.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it/

If you have poultry Nutri-Drench, give each chick 1-2 drops twice a day. See that they are drinking o.k. and that they are actually eating.

An eye that is stuck, gently clean with saline, see if that helps.

 

[R2elk]

You may need to grind the feed up to almost a powder consistency for the first few days if the particles are too large.

Keets do not need a proper starter feed ground to a powder. A good turkey or game bird starter normally comes in a larger crumble size than the grower feed to make it more readily recognized. The keets can handle this size of crumble fine.

What they may need is an appropriate sized grit because they have a tendency to eat their bedding which they cannot digest unless they have grit in their system.

 

[R2elk]

No keets are inside the house I started them off in incubator for the rest of their time . Brooder is a cardboard box with paper towel in the bottom food and waterer are provided. This chick in particular has also had issues with pasty butt and its eyes getting stuck shut I have put Vaseline on them and the little vent to help but eyes still having trouble and when it stands it is really out of it. Not sure why it has gone downhill from doing totally fine. It now has a box mate who was born early this morning who is doing great other than splay leg hasn’t gotten to its feet yet. I do have a warm side and towel over the other side to get out of the heat. Also am new here so idk how to add pictures yet lol

It is a really good idea to check the temperature at the bedding level. I start keets with the temperature at 90⁰F measured at the bedding level. Too hot can cause all kinds of problems including increasing the probability of pasty butt.

The keet laying on its back can be a sign of the bedding being too hot.

Do not put vaseline on the eyes. If the eyes are gooping up, putting vaseline on them can compound the problem. You can instead use eye drops made for poultry.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Keets do not need a proper starter feed ground to a powder. A good turkey or game bird starter normally comes in a larger crumble size than the grower feed to make it more readily recognized. The keets can handle this size of crumble fine.

What they may need is an appropriate sized grit because they have a tendency to eat their bedding which they cannot digest unless they have grit in their system

Thanks! Good to know.

 

[Birdladyskeleyss]

Ok so the one seen by the food actually died that night I do have 2 more that are now in a big tote instead of a lil box and have noticed that the temp is not as hot now and boy teaching guineas to eat and drink is tricky but I figured it out. Food in the water helps them remember to drink bc I think the one that died got dehydrated. Even though I saw it drinking in its own like day 3 it must have forgotten it now so far so good live and learn

 

[R2elk]

Ok so the one seen by the food actually died that night I do have 2 more that are now in a big tote instead of a lil box and have noticed that the temp is not as hot now and boy teaching guineas to eat and drink is tricky but I figured it out. Food in the water helps them remember to drink bc I think the one that died got dehydrated. Even though I saw it drinking in its own like day 3 it must have forgotten it now so far so good live and learn

It's far more likely that it died because you were keeping it too hot.

I have never had any problem getting keets to eat and drink.