Gobbler Mouth Foaming

[Banty Roo]

Hello,
Sorry to hit ya with this right off the bat, but I'm worried about my bird.

We acquired a couple of Midget Whites a few weeks back...healthy as can be...gobbler gobbling all the time...today my wife commented that she hadn't heard him gobble in a while...and when she tried to prompt him to (she gobbles at him and he usually gobbles back) his came out sounding weird...She noted he had some white foamy stuff coming from around his mouth and when I got off of work I checked him out and confirmed.

It's been hot as blazes here (100+), but they have access to food, water and shade...any ideas what this could be and how I would treat it?

 

[ivan3]

Separate him from the other. Keep a close watch on how much food/water he's consuming. Observe for unusual droppings. Check inside of mouth for anything out of the ordinary (two person job). Listen closely to breath sounds (gurgling/wheezing/etc). If they have access to food other than that which you provide (do they range in yard/around property?) he could have gotten a hold of something. If you can run an extension out to the pen/run - get a cheap box fan and use a length of string from handle to fence and aim into run. Though poultry don't `sweat' our turkeys (in particular) line up in front of the fans, on hot/humid afternoons, and nap.

Any additional info would be useful (anything from respiratory illness to a toxin - maybe can narrow down suspects).

Good luck!

 

[PalmRoyal]

I would place my bets on a toxin or heat stroke. If it is heat stroke, then I'm not really sure what to suggest. I had a tom suffer through that and we did try our best to help him recover from it, but he was never quite the same and a little while after, he had another stroke from the heat stroke and needed to be put down (paralyzed his body). That was a very sad day. If it was a toxin that is ingested, I would suggest looking at ways to detox the bird. I've heard of carbon being added to the food as a natural detox. I've also heard of molasses and epsom salt, however, I am not sure how safe these are.