Introducing a new, injured guinea to my flock

[PeepsCA]

Nice coop

My guess is your Hen just needs some R&R, and she'll bounce back soon, as long as she's not dealing with an infection. They are pretty resilient birds.

It's miserable hot here too, so I feel your (and your birds') pain! My Guineas always like an area of their dust bathing areas wet down around noon so they can churn it all up and stay cool all afternoon).

 

[btrbeana]

Its a sad, sad saga...Sad news to report today. One of my "healthy" hens passed this morning. I went out to clean the run early because we had a terrible storm yesterday and everything was wet and stinky. The male guinea squawked ALL night long but wouldn't leave the run and go into the coop, even though I put a light on for them! The hens were still on the ground. Not up roosting with the male like normal. Day 3 of that business. I figured its because their "nests" disappeared. They are in the incubator now.

So I got out there post haste this morning. My original 2 healthy hens have been laying around for days, not eating or wanting to leave the run. Since just after I brought the injured guinea home to recuperate and took my healthy hens eggs in to "cook" for 28 days. hmmmmm….. BTW, the injured one I brought home is getting better everyday! I did keep everyone separate.

I was not able to rake the area under one of the hens because she wouldn't move - at all. I half way hoped there was an egg under her and she was brooding. This IS my first flock EVER, but I still knew better. She just sat there, not caring if I were going to attack and eat her or not. SO I picked her up and looked her over top and bottom. Turned her over and checked her belly. Nothing. No obvious damage - anywhere. And no fight either, a little wiggling - but that was feeble. When I put her back down, her neck curled the way mine does when I have a seizure (I'm epileptic…) and flopped to one side. Then she closed her eyes. She was gone. CRAP! DID I KILL MY BIRD WITH GOOD INTENTIONS? I hate myself right now.

My other hen, who was healthy a week ago - has been behaving the same way. I'm so sad. SO frustrated. Do I need to cull her now? Is it the Plague? I don't even know if its disease or the awful heat and humidity. They were ALL FINE and happy a week ago. They will NOT leave the run! The male seems fine, but he will not leave the run either.

I'm NEVER bringing a strange bird into my flock again, assuming I ever get another flock. The chickens are doing OK, but are not laying as much.. Lord help.

Thank you for all your help. At this point, I feel I have done everything I can for them and if they are to survive whatever is going on, they will or they wont. It is in Mother Nature's hands.

 

[PeepsCA]

Sorry for your loss... maybe she was egg bound, has she been laying? Was her vent messy? Was her abdomen swollen?

Mystery deaths happen, but I know that does not help much. Your male acting strange is odd, but then again we are talking about Guineas... lol. If you made any changes in the coop that may be why he is protesting, but who knows.

I would not cull the other Hen unless she shows the same symptoms as the Hen you just lost...

Hope you have better luck soon and can hatch out a batch of their keets.

 

[btrbeana]

Hi, The other hen just passed away about a half hour ago when I took some frozen fruit out to them. As soon as she moved, she passed. The male cried and circled her, the new hen made the come back call and he hovered for a good 10 minutes till I took her away.

I looked her over much closer than I did the other. She was, in fact, egg bound. Yesterday with my other hen, I just wanted her buried. I felt so awful. The egg we excised from just above her vent was huge! No shell really.. but the yolk was bigger than my largest chickens and the sac was like leather. There was a lot of egg in there. I wish I had known, and I feel like pond scum for letting them both suffer.

Is it the food?? I have always let them free roam and they have game bird feed in their run..but the chickens free roam too and so the guineas eat the laying feed and the chickens eat the game bird feed. they all hang together. BTW.. the injured hen got loose and joined up with the male and has done fine. He seems to like her. Still, even with the door wide open, they are hesitant to leave just yet. Hopefully she wont lead him away, never to be seen again too.

I do have 13 eggs in the incubator. Hopefully the 'girls' will live on. :-/

Thank you so much for your help… I have learned so much and I appreciate the time you have taken to educate me.

 

[PeepsCA]

Oh how sad for you... but don't blame yourself

You definitely show concern for your birds' welfare!

Sometimes things just happen so quickly, and before we can figure out the problem it's too late. I also just lost a (Chocolate) Hen to egg binding, and this is her 3rd season of laying, so I was surprised to find her dead... it's disgustingly hot here too, so they all got a healthy dose of electrolytes added to their water, unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother in it, and several huge crushed cloves of garlic, plus a big huge feed pan of grated zucchini, cucumbers and carrots from the garden that I zipped thru my food processor. She was in my most most actively laying flock... so now I am paranoid I'll lose more Hens

Doing what I can to keep them all hydrated.

The feeds your birds are eating sound fine to me, but how about access to oyster shell? I always have a rabbit feeder or some other type of container of it hanging in the run or coop for them free choice, so they can pick thru as they need it. As far as the egg binding problem goes, it may have been a lack of calcium, but my guess is that it's because the weather is so hot and they are just not drinking enough water. If you can add some electrolytes or even plain children's pedialyte to their water that may help, and encourage them to drink more. And chilled juicy fruits and veggies are always a plus.

Glad to hear the injured Hen has been accepted by the male. I hope they bond and stick close to home, but... you may want to keep them contained to the coop and run for a couple weeks just to be sure. Misters and a fan out there may help keep them more comfortable.

Best of luck, and keep us posted on your hatch!

 

[btrbeana]

Thank you so much. They do have oyster shell. And free range. We live on a lake so bugs are always a great. We are working hard to keep them hydrated. Everyone comes home many times through the day. I will miss my pretty little girls
They were perfect in every way!

 

[btrbeana]

Next we try to hatch!

 

[btrbeana]

Next we try to hatch!