What Happened??? Please Tell Me!!!

[guin lover]

well, the past few days, my guinea hen, mulch has been really lethargic. the hasnt been running around like an idiot with her sisters, she just stands up, sleeping. and when i pick her up, she dosent struggle like she usually does, she just sits there. she still make sounds like she used to but she sounds a lot softer and and a little hoarse. and when she jumps off the roost (about 12cm off the gound) she falls flat with her wings spread out and picks herself up s-l-o-w-l-y... she lives with 2 other guinea hens, a standard OEG roo and 2 australorp girls. can anybody tell me what happened to my baby?? please help!

 

[buck-wild-chick]

Have you checked her for lice/mites? She sounds anemic but I could be wrong.

 

[guin lover]

well, no mites. if she is anemic, what can i do?

 

[buck-wild-chick]

First off I would pen her up by herself and get some electrolytes in her asap.If its not mites then it could be a disease.I am no means an expert but I'm sure you will get some more advise tomorrow.
Do you worm your guineas regularly?
How old is the bird?

 

[buck-wild-chick]

If you read through the (Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures) part of the forum you may be able to find a thread that describes your guineas symptoms.

ETA, I read right over where you said she sounded "hoarse" Which could be a sign of upper respiratory infection.Do her eyes look puffy/runny?

 

[guin lover]

we got her in june, on the 20th. she was 6 months then. she had been wormed by the previous owner reularly, i was assured she would not need worming... she's been isolated for a fair bit now.

 

[guin lover]

No, her eyes are fine

 

[buck-wild-chick]

Does her poop look normal?

 

[guin lover]

she dosent poo as much, cause she dosnt eat much now. when she does, its half solid. very watery. but she usually pees separately. lots of white puddles. so she's drinking lots.

 

[Lollipop]

Never had a sick guinea, but a sick, or enemic chicken on rare occasion. Had a goat that nearly faded away to nothing also. A good vitamin supplement for blood and weakness is Red Cell, found in the equine section of most feed stores. Mix it with her water to look like weak tea and give it to her for a week, or until she perks up. The others can drink it with good results also. Don`t mix it too strong, like weak tea is best. It fortifies the blood and helps bring back the appettite. Like previously mentioned, I would check for mites. To do this, pick her off the roost at night and check around her vent and under the tail with a flashlight. If she has them, you will see tiny little bugs scurrying for cover. That will mean all of them have mites. Let us know what you find.......Pop