Loosing guineas

Janiemp55

Chirping
7 Years
Apr 9, 2015
38
3
82
Help we just started raising guineas a year ago with 3. In the last 2 weeks I have lost 6 of my 21. I had raised in pen with some chickens but separated them but still lost another one tonight. Started letting them out during the day and put back up at night 2 weeks ago. Any help on what I should be doing to get them healthy ..feeding game crumble with mixed seeds and corn. Like a scratch feed. Live in Tennessee are they cold hardy.
 
When you say you are losing them, what do you mean? Are they sick, getting bullied, or killed by predators?

Feed wise, we feed game bird crumble/pellets. Anything else should only be offered as a treat occasionally.
Will see some walking with head down instead of up tall. They are still eating. One just fell over dead in front of me.. eating one minute gone the next. one bird I picked up cloudy fluid dripped out of beak
 
Oh my, do you have pictures?
They sound very sick, but I’m not experienced enough to know what’s wrong. Hopefully one of the other members here can help.

If you can provide pictures of the sick birds and the fluid coming out of the beak that will be helpful. As well as a list of all symptoms you’ve observed.
 
Do a head to toe assessment. Drainage from eyes? Swelling of head? Is the crop impacted? Abdominal distention ? Ruffled or missing feathers? Skin discoloration?
There are way too many things for us to guess about while your birds continue to die. It could be respiratory infection, crop impaction, poison, or a contagion being spread from one bird to another. If you have a vet who deals with farm animals or avian vet, contact for help. Or you can send one of the dead ones in for examination so you know what you're dealing with. But I think that would require waiting until another one dies and refrigerating it.
 
Will see some walking with head down instead of up tall. They are still eating. One just fell over dead in front of me.. eating one minute gone the next. one bird I picked up cloudy fluid dripped out of beak
Hi Janiemp55, that sounds awful! I’m sorry that you are dealing with this. Guinea fowl are reasonable cold hardy if they have good shelter, feed, water, etc. It sounds like you have something else going on, maybe a respiratory or crop disease. Guinea fowl have many of the same diseases and health problems that chickens do. I’d post on the diseases forum for help. However, if at all possible, you need to take some of the freshly dead birds to be necropsied. That’s really how you will get answers out what’s wrong with them. All states have a state veterinary diagnostic lab. You need to find yours and contact them. It can be expensive, but many states will necropsy at a reduced cost as part of their avian influenza monitoring program. I think this is your lab. Make sure to directly ask whether your can participate in their influenza monitoring program to reduce the cost of necropsy. I sincerely hope that the rest of your flock recovers. :fl

https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/consumers/pets/animal-health-diagnostic-lab0.html
 

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