My sick little turkey :(

So a few days ago our turkey hatched some little babies, one was rejected from the nest as it was a bit wobbly. He kept trying to tip his head right back and eventually would flip himself over. I decided he still deserved a chance so I put him in the house with some blankets and a light, and of course food and water. He has been hand fed and watered every day and he doesnt try to flip himself over when I'm holding him, he's actually gotten alot better and is now standing and walking around! I have noticed since day one that he has been sneezing and its starting to concern me a little, was wondering if anyone has an idea of what might be causing this?

Hello and

Sounds like a deficiency disease. I don't know if there's anything that can be done for it, sorry; if babies are born or hatched already showing these sorts of diseases, they are usually not going to make it since by the time you see these spasms, the damage is already done. The nervous system has failed to develop normally.

Generally, deficiencies that cause this sort of neurological disease (as shown by the spasming) are mostly due to low vitamin E, or Selenium, or a few others including possibly B vitamins, in the mother. It's quite normal to get both normal and affected bubs in the same hatch or litter.

Potential causes in here:
Quote:
I had a page bookmarked somewhere that detailed this disease in young poults but after searching, can't find it, sorry, I have a lot of bookmarks!

Best wishes.

Some turkeys are prone to something called flip-over-syndrome.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-syndrome-f-o-s-my-experience-and-what-i-did

-Kathy

casportpony said:

Some turkeys are prone to something called flip-over-syndrome.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-syndrome-f-o-s-my-experience-and-what-i-did

-Kathy

Click to expand...

Interesting, I'd never heard of that. Either way, it does indicate neurological dysfunction, can't really be due to anything else whatever the mechanical process is, but I'd guess you agree with that anyway.

This quote from the thread you linked to is a bit of a gobsmacker:
Quote: Whoa there... Something that causes them to fail to survive under normal conditions should never, ever be described as 'normal' for a species unless that species is already dying out due to severe problems... 'Normal' in that specific scenario, just because it's common, but certainly not natural nor acceptable.

When 3 out of 12 poults have 'F.O.S', and the rest are normal, you don't describe the defective ones that can't function without assistance as 'normal'. :/

(Not to have a go at kuntrygirl there, at all, she was just relaying info she was told, it's just a shocking bit of info she found there...)

Sounds to me like it's a congenital abnormality possibly related to or similar to tetanic torticollar spasm, since that's inherited and everyone said they also found 'F.O.S' was passed on through one family line, specifically the male line.

It sounds like it's roughly the same thing anyway, I've had a hen given to me with T.T.S. and her head would go back like described, but she didn't flip. Naturally I didn't breed her, and the other turkeys hated her and eventually killed her despite my attempts to stop them (some helpful person put the turkey in with her wannabe-killers despite my explicit instructions not to, and the reasons why not being made clear)...

Best wishes.