HELP! SHAKY AND OFF BALANCE KEETS!!

[Ariesmom]

I wrote on here last week about 3 of my 2 week old guinea keets that just aren't right. They are very imbalanced, falling over and laying on their backs with feet up in the air and constantly trembling. I have a total of 15 and all the others are very healthy and strong. These little fighters will still eat and weeble wobble their way to the food and water but usually end up getting knocked over and trampled on by the others. This has been going on for about a week and they haven't gotten better or worse. I've added save a chick to the water and started medicated feed for all of them ( says safe for guinea fowl on the bag) just to see if it helps and it hasn't. What in the world could be wrong with them??? I've never raised guineas before, and i hear they can be difficult but had no idea about this! Anyone with any advise would be greatly appreciated!!! I am just at a loss...hubby says to cull them but I don't want to until I know for sure what is going on with them.

 

[poultrycrazy711]

Don't cull them unless they stop eating or drinking. Make sure the heat source isn't to hot or cold. You can also tell if they are sick by their droppings. If they have diarrhea, chances are they are most likely sick.

 

[Ariesmom]

I can't tell about the droppings with 15 of them in there. Nothing on the bedding looks like diarrhea though. I did have one that right after hatch needed leg braces for splay legs but once they fell off you couldn't tell which one he was since all of them stood fine at that point. Now these 3 came down with whatever is going on and I was wondering if the splay legged one may be one of those. They don't appear to have leg issues, I tried to brace all 3 but all it did was make them more unstable. It's clearly a balance problem. I use a heat lamp in one end of the enclosure by nite and turn it off by day...it's in the 70's at night and high 80's by day. I just can't figure out what is going on and it's driving me crazy!!!! Can they have nuerological problems during developement? I did have one we watched as it hatched that after it came out, it seemed like it's head was stuck in the curled up position like it would have been in the egg. It lashed around like that for about 10 mins until it seemed the neck muscles relaxed and it got up...wonder if that was the start for all 3. I didn't get to see all of them hatch to know if the same thing happened to 2 others.

 

[poultrycrazy711]

Avian Encephalomyelitis

Synonyms: epidemic tremor, AE
Species affected: The disease is most prevalent in chickens less than 6 weeks of age. Pheasants, corturnix quail, and turkeys are natural hosts as well, but less susceptible than chickens. Ducklings, young pigeons, and guinea fowl can be experimentally infected.
Clinical signs: Signs commonly appear during the first week of life and between the second and third weeks. Affected chicks may first show a dull expression of the eyes, followed by progressive incoordination, sitting on hocks, tremors of the head and neck, and finally paralysis or prostration. Affected chicks are inactive. Some may refuse to walk or will walk on their hocks. In advanced cases, many chicks will lie with both feet out to one side (prostrate) and die. All stages (dullness, tremors, prostration) can usually be seen in an affected flock. Feed and water consumption decreases and the birds lose weight. In adult birds, a transitory drop (5-20 percent) in egg production may be the only clinical sign present. However, in breeding flocks, a corresponding decrease in hatchability is also noted as the virus is egg- transmitted until hens develop immunity. Chickens which survive the clinical disease may develop cataracts later in life (see Table 2).
Transmission: The virus can be transmitted through the egg from infected hen to chick, accounting for disease during the first week of life. The disease can also be spread through a flock by direct contact of susceptible hatchlings with infected birds, accounting for the disease at 2-3 weeks of age. Indirect spread can occur through fecal contamination of feed and water. Recovered birds are immune and do not spread the virus.
Treatment: There is no treatment for outbreaks. Remove the keet(s) from any others. Recovered chicks are unthrifty.
Prevention: A vaccine is available.

I don't know if it is this they have, but from what your telling about your keets, the incoordination and the refusal to walk seems about right.