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What do you think? Ever had a keet hatch like this? Questions are welcome on the guinea fowl message board. Joining the GFBA has many benefits, one is to be able to ask questions to GFBA Advisors, scientists and veterinarians who work with guinea fowl and are willing to respond to questions on the private GFBA message board. |
| Posted by Bill S. on August
15, 2002 at 18:49:31: A keet that hatched in the incubator this morning has a connecting tube from half way to the breast, kinda between the legs connecting to a round sack about 5/8" in dia. which is covered in downy feathers AND has a two toes and toenails protruding. The keet is full of energy and looks healthy otherwise. This keet has more energy and activity than most at this very early age. BTW, it was the last of this small batch to hatch by about 36 hours from the others. |
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| Response from Ralph Winter, owner of Guinea Farm (the
world's largest Guinea Fowl Hatchery)
"I have had three or four over the years. Mine have always had one or two legs attached by the tail area and facing backwards. I called them cheater wheels, like on trucks. They were shorter than the real legs and not functional."
"Yes, this sort of congenital anomaly, while not common, shows up from time to time. Unless, one is seeing it regularly, it should not be of concern. If any particular anomaly is seen on any regular basis, then one should try to trace it back to the breeding flock. Generally, a bird with an anomaly of any kind should not be bred. Not all such anomalies are inherited. In most cases, the genetics of the bird is fine, there is just something along the way that interferes with normal development. In this case, a few little cells just got confused or misplaced and developed into foot and nails instead of skin. If there was a bone or additional skeleton, then the story is a bit more complicated but still probably nothing to worry about". Posted by goatmom in June 29, 2004 - one legged keet: |
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Below is a photo of "Tri", a keet hatched by Debbie. Here is a photo of my 3 legged keet. The 3rd leg actually has 2 feet on the end of it. Debbie |
"Tri," the three legged keet
| Posted by Bill on October 08, 2002 at 15:53:59: .  "This guinea
male "Harry" has been with me the longest. Shortly after getting him as
an adult a year and a half ago I noticed a "growth" or "blister" in front
of his right eye. It seemed to be no discomfort and he functioned perfectly
with no attention to his problem. It never went away, it got a wee bit
smaller then returned to it's "normal" size several times. Never even
to now has he fussed with it. Today I saw it was 75% or even 100% larger
than previously, coming up over the eye a bit. There is nothing else wrong
with him, his energy level is perfect and as I say he has been this way
about 18 or 19 months. He free ranges daily and eats the same variety
of foods as the other birds except the keets who get medicated game bird
starter. I don't want to make a mountain from a mole hill but this change
makes me want to know more. Harry was real easy to get a hold of today
and was especially cooperative with solo photos. I'm most interested in
learning more of his problem and how to correct it short of going to a
guinea opthomologist. Haha, afraid my financial strength prevents some
costly choices. Thanks for all the assistance. Bill S."
Posted by David Shapiro, DVM on October 13, 2002 at 10:23:43: Nice photo. Without being able to touch the lesion, however, it is impossible to tell for certain but it could be, as you've surmised a blockage of the lacrimal duct which is causing a bulging of the conjunctiva. The other posting which mentioned that when pushed, air bubbled into the eye is significant. This might answer one of my questions, i.e. is it a solid mass or hollow containing fluid or air. I would not recommended sticking anything into it. It might reduce simply by pressing on it gently (watching carefully that you cause no discomfort to the bird and then putting some over-the-counter children's eyedrops. If it is a blockage, it can be caused by a variety of things from infection to simply some debris in the tiny lacrimal ducts. Is there any excessive tearing (tears dripping over the outside of the lid)? This is another sign of blockage. Birds also have a third eyelid (or nictitating membrane) in that area. This could also be involved. If it doesn't increase in size and causes no problems for the bird, you could probably just leave it. If it increases enough in size that it is rubbing on the surface of the eye,however, it can cause plenty of other problems. A veterinarian's hands-on exam could likely solve the mystery quickly. I noticed that more than one person reported this. Whatever the problem
is, it could be something in our North American environment (different
than good old Africa) which predisposes the Guinea Fowl to this. |
