Keets dying at 2 to 3 weeks old.

[ufasimba]

Hello everyone,
My keets have been dying lately, one or two at a time. The symptom is a wetness in the back by the vent area (I haven't notice any diarrhea yet). From wet it become pasty black then dries. They remain physically active until they fall dead. I have been hatching guinea keets for two years now, I never saw something like that before. I am really sad and confused so any help will be greatly appreciated. I lost 14 so far.

 

[guineapeeps]

Hello everyone,
My keets have been dying lately, one or two at a time. The symptom is a wetness in the back by the vent area (I haven't notice any diarrhea yet). From wet it become pasty black then dries. They remain physically active until they fall dead. I have been hatching guinea keets for two years now, I never saw something like that before. I am really sad and confused so any help will be greatly appreciated. I lost 14 so far.

I’m wondering if it’s pasty butt or something more? Are you cleaning it off or just leaving it there? If it’s pasty butt, it needs to be cleaned off gently (even soaking it to loosen it if necessary). If it is poop that has collected and is not cleaned off, then it can can block the vent and prevent them from pooping and they can die. You may know this all if you’ve been hatching keets for 2 years, but thought I’d throw it out there just in case.
Here are a few links as well, just in case:

https://the-chicken-chick.com/pasty-butt-in-chicks-causestreatmen/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/poop-stuck-to-1-week-old-chicks-what-do-i-do.722903/

 

[ufasimba]

I’m wondering if it’s pasty butt or something more? Are you cleaning it off or just leaving it there? If it’s pasty butt, it needs to be cleaned off gently (even soaking it to loosen it if necessary). If it is poop that has collected and is not cleaned off, then it can can block the vent and prevent them from pooping and they can die. You may know this all if you’ve been hatching keets for 2 years, but thought I’d throw it out there just in case.
Here are a few links as well, just in case:

https://the-chicken-chick.com/pasty-butt-in-chicks-causestreatmen/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/poop-stuck-to-1-week-old-chicks-what-do-i-do.722903/

I’m wondering if it’s pasty butt or something more? Are you cleaning it off or just leaving it there? If it’s pasty butt, it needs to be cleaned off gently (even soaking it to loosen it if necessary). If it is poop that has collected and is not cleaned off, then it can can block the vent and prevent them from pooping and they can die. You may know this all if you’ve been hatching keets for 2 years, but thought I’d throw it out there just in case.
Here are a few links as well, just in case:

https://the-chicken-chick.com/pasty-butt-in-chicks-causestreatmen/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/poop-stuck-to-1-week-old-chicks-what-do-i-do.722903/

It is not exactly located on the vent but I will try to remove it and see if they will survive (one is showing the symptom actually). They don't die all at ones, at most two at the same time. The hatching was not uge since I did not have enough eggs from march to mid-may; for that reason death occures every two weeks. It is only now that the females are laying all together (as soon as it started raining here) so I wonder if it has anything to do with seasonality and ideal conditions. The first year i started incubating in june, second year april (but in small quantity) but the hatching percentage was very poor until june. We will find out in few weeks with the up coming batches.
Thank you for the links !!

 

[KsKingBee]

Another thought I had is rough navel at hatch and then getting infected on a dirty flooring. Check each keet upon hatching and apply triple ointment to the navel. Disinfect the hatcher trays and the brooder might also help.

 

[ufasimba]

Another thought I had is rough navel at hatch and then getting infected on a dirty flooring. Check each keet upon hatching and apply triple ointment to the navel. Disinfect the hatcher trays and the brooder might also help.

Sure I will follow the advices above, thanks. I have a new case, so I peeled off the dark layer from the affected area (It looks like death skin on a wound) and I applied some hydrogen peroxide. Now it looks clean, meanwhile that is where the agglutination occurs, right around the vent. I always say that keets are the strongest comparing to chicks, suddenly here is a new challenge! Sad.

 

[ufasimba]

Another thought I had is rough navel at hatch and then getting infected on a dirty flooring. Check each keet upon hatching and apply triple ointment to the navel. Disinfect the hatcher trays and the brooder might also help.

Sure I will follow the advices above, thanks. I have a new case, so I peeled off the dark layer from the affected area (It looks like death skin on a wound) and I applied some hydrogen peroxide. Now it looks clean, meanwhile that is where the agglutination occurs, right around the vent. I always say that keets are the strongest comparing to chicks, suddenly here is a new challenge! Sad.

 

[guineapeeps]

Sure I will follow the advices above, thanks. I have a new case, so I peeled off the dark layer from the affected area (It looks like death skin on a wound) and I applied some hydrogen peroxide. Now it looks clean, meanwhile that is where the agglutination occurs, right around the vent. I always say that keets are the strongest comparing to chicks, suddenly here is a new challenge! Sad.

I am wondering if @R2elk can be of help with this issue? He has much more guinea experience than me and may have some valuable info for you.

 

[KsKingBee]

I wonder if you got a bad batch of feed.

 

[ufasimba]

Good question, I will go ahead and replace the feed as well. Thanks!

 

[casportpony]

If mine I would probable treat for coccidiosis too. Do you have any Corid?