Hurt keets

[clkabj5]

We had 4 total keets and went to coop and found 2 have a hurt leg. One is putting weight in his flying around still and acting good. The other is doing the same but I can't get it to stand right on it's foot. It holds it on it's side. We have braced it and everything for a week, it is still walking crooked with even a brace on. Anything else we can do

 

[mommaguinea]

How old are they and what is the bedding?

 

[clkabj5]

They are 8 weeks old and I moved them into our chick hutch. The bedding is straw.

 

[mommaguinea]

Does not sound common. I have been reading posts of leg weaknesses without cause.

 

[shootemup604]

Last night I had one showing the same symptoms, mine are about six weeks and also on straw. This morning, still not moving about much, with the left leg pulled up and not putting weight on it. Got home tonight and it's moving around normally again, maybe slightly favouring the left leg occasionally, but otherwise blending in with the others. I hope yours gets better soon.

 

[GuineaFowling]

Put some added vitamins and electrolytes in the water to help them. I prefer shavings or chopped grass as a bedding as it is much much softer but I had guineas raise keets on the ground and take them all over the yard and they played in the hay bales with no problems. Make sure your guineas legs do not get wet at such young ages. Good luck and I hope your keets get better.

 

[Mistahbue]

Question about the wet legs. My keets are constantly running through their waterer. I've elevated it on a piece of wood and still they manage to run a foot through it. Suggestions on stopping it? They are in cardboard brooding boxes - 8 days old today - so I'm stumped as how to stop the feet bath.

 

[mommaguinea]

I would suggest putting large pebbles (maybe nickle or larger) in the trough. This gives them a shallowe spot when they do step in it- and give them another week or so and they probably will stop.

 

[shootemup604]

Any update? The keet that had the sore leg is now occasionally walking about in circles, with his head held low and horizontal to the ground. Otherwise he seems fine, and doesn't always do this.

 

[Mistahbue]

Put in the 2x4 wood blocks. -- they were so funny yesterday morning!!!

I put a block in for the two feeders and one for the waterer. They all scuttled to the other side of the keetcondo and watched. They just sat and stared - for about an hour. REFUSED to step over the edge into the keetcafe. Just standing giving the wood blocks the stank eye glare. LOL

After an hour I took paper towels and covered up the blocks. Mass exodus from the keetcondo sleeping side to the keetcafe.

Now today they aren't afraid of the wood blocks. I removed the paper towels while cleaning the box and getting new feed and water ready - (always have an extra water on standby so they aren't drinking ice cold well water). They moved to bed side while I cleaned then hopped back looking for food and water.

They are some little intelligent critters. I am in awe.

Also my thermometer always reads between 80 - 90 and they seem fine. Rarely do any of them sleep directly under the light -- just around the edges - sometimes one or two in a heap and often a pile all together. I swear I don't know how they don't suffocate the keet in the middle - but they are all still alive and kicking. Should I be keeping it warmer? Initially a 100w bulb ran thermometer up close to 100 and they fanned out as far away from light as possible and weren't moving -- put in a lesser bulb and the temp showed about 85 and they were more active and snoozed closer to the light source.

During a cool snap I put the 100w bulb back in and managed to keep temp around 85-90. Yesterday it was approaching the 100 degree mark again and they were staying away from light -- downsized to the 75w and temp is back in the 85-90 range and they seem to be fine.

This should be about right for their current age if I'm reading everything correctly. I figure because there are 24 in the condo box they are also generating a fair amount of heat amongst themselves?