Injured baby bird!! Help!

Chuff

Hatching
5 Years
May 27, 2014
3
0
9
Hello,

We have wild turkeys around our property and tonight our dog startled a momma turkey and her babies. We chased them around our property and got all of the babies back with the mom except for one. It looks injured and is not moving but is alive. The mom seems to have left it. We also have 3 week old chicks brooding and wondering if we can put this one in with our chicks? Does anyone know? I definitely do not want to introduce disease in to our laying chicks but don't want to leave this one out to suffer either. What to do?? Help!
 
I believe in most states it illegal to keep a wild turkey without a permit. I personally would leave it alone, or at least put it farther away from your house.
 
Your instinct to put the baby wild turkey in with the baby chickens is a good one to save it and make it comfortable. And understanding that wild turkeys have already "inoculated" any domestic chickens residing within the wild turkey range against Marek's because turkeys carry a mild form of it, I believe your chicks would only benefit by being exposed to the baby turkey, in my opinion.

However, understanding wild animals, I have to question the wisdom of trying to save this injured turkey chick. Like chickens, turkeys are flock creatures, and it's almost unthinkable to raise a single baby chicken, whereas a lone wild baby turkey would be impossibly unfair.

Have you thought ahead to what you will do if the turkey survives and grows into a tom turkey or a hen? Will you keep it as a pet or attempt to release it back into the wild? If the latter, you do realize no flock will let that turkey anywhere near them? It would be doomed to attempt to survive on its own.

This is a good time to give some thought as to your expectations for this turkey's future before you go any further. I would be inclined to euthanize this turkey, but this is your decision to make.
 
There is likely a wildlife rehabber near you that could take it. They are equipped to care for them and hopefully if they have others of their own kind can get them to imprint on their own kind so they can be released if it can be healed.
 

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