Please help me!

[bigbird]

I have posted several times in re: to this hatch of poults. After the last one died, I thought the rest were going to be ok. I now have four left, and one is keeping its eyes closed, panting and wanting to eat, but getting weak. It doesn’t want to drink. It scratches at its face, and jerks its head from side to side, which almost looks like it has something caught in its throat. They are inside in a bucket with a heat lamp on dry, clean towels. Fresh warm water, and three different types of chuck food. I even tried to give it crushed meal worms for the protein. They were hatched on April 10th. Up till this morning, it was doing fantastic. Please, please help me. I am at a loss.

 

[casportpony]

Can you post a video of it? To post video upload to YouTube or Vimeo then copy/paste the link here.

 

[R2elk]

I have posted several times in re: to this hatch of poults. After the last one died, I thought the rest were going to be ok. I now have four left, and one is keeping its eyes closed, panting and wanting to eat, but getting weak. It doesn’t want to drink. It scratches at its face, and jerks its head from side to side, which almost looks like it has something caught in its throat. They are inside in a bucket with a heat lamp on dry, clean towels. Fresh warm water, and three different types of chuck food. I even tried to give it crushed meal worms for the protein. They were hatched on April 10th. Up till this morning, it was doing fantastic. Please, please help me. I am at a loss.

You put how many poults inside what size of bucket? Do you have any idea what the temperature is in the bucket at the bedding level? Do you know that they do need ventilation and they do need to be able to move freely to and from the heat? Chick feed is not appropriate for turkey poults and not just because of the protein content. I have seen chick feed anywhere from 15% protein to 24% protein. For turkey poults the lysine, methionine and niacin levels also need to be higher than what is provided in chick starter.

You are offering them mealworms but are you offering them grit so they can digest the mealworms? Too many mealworms can cause excessive protein levels and cause kidney damage.

Since you don't seem to be offering them the appropriate feed, are you supplementing their feed with crumbled hard boiled eggs (without the shells)? Crumbled hard boiled eggs are really good for them.

 

[bigbird]

Can you post a video of it? To post video upload to YouTube or Vimeo then copy/paste the link here.

I will try

 

[casportpony]

Can you also tell us what types of food they are getting?

 

[cassie]

Baby poultry need to be able to get away from the heat lamp. Turkeys need a higher protein feed than chickens. I fed mine turkey starter when I could get it and game bird feed when I couldn't.

 

[bigbird]

You put how many poults inside what size of bucket? Do you have any idea what the temperature is in the bucket at the bedding level? Do you know that they do need ventilation and they do need to be able to move freely to and from the heat? Chick feed is not appropriate for turkey poults and not just because of the protein content. I have seen chick feed anywhere from 15% protein to 24% protein. For turkey poults the lysine, methionine and niacin levels also need to be higher than what is provided in chick starter.

You are offering them mealworms but are you offering them grit so they can digest the mealworms? Too many mealworms can cause excessive protein levels and cause kidney damage.

Since you don't seem to be offering them the appropriate feed, are you supplementing their feed with crumbled hard boiled eggs (without the shells)? Crumbled hard boiled eggs are really good for them.

You put how many poults inside what size of bucket? Do you have any idea what the temperature is in the bucket at the bedding level? Do you know that they do need ventilation and they do need to be able to move freely to and from the heat? Chick feed is not appropriate for turkey poults and not just because of the protein content. I have seen chick feed anywhere from 15% protein to 24% protein. For turkey poults the lysine, methionine and niacin levels also need to be higher than what is provided in chick starter.

You are offering them mealworms but are you offering them grit so they can digest the mealworms? Too many mealworms can cause excessive protein levels and cause kidney damage.

Since you don't seem to be offering them the appropriate feed, are you supplementing their feed with crumbled hard boiled eggs (without the shells)? Crumbled hard boiled eggs are really good for them.

i am in the process of uploading a YouTube video now. In answers to your questions, I have 4 in a recycling plastic bucket. It’s 18x25x12 with no top on. It’s also away from windows and doors. The temperature on the floor is always between 92-96. They have a small towel over 1/4 of it in case it gets too hot. They also have towels crumbled up inside to be able to adjust to the height that feels comfortable to them. I just started feeding them freezed dried meal worms as a last ditched effort this morning, and yes, they are provided chick grit.
The reasoning behind multiple foods is when I went to buy them some, I didn’t realize that they needed so much protein. I went to another store and found 24% which was the highest they had. I again went to another store and found ultra kibble for chicks, and thought that would be good. It has 29.64 protein.
Their water has had electrolytes and probiotics since they were able to drink. I have just made hard boiled eggs and offered it to it. I also checked its throat to see if it had a blockage, and didnt appear to have one. I always check for strings on towels. I know they like to peck at them. Again, I’m at a loss. I’ve hatched chickens, ducks, geese and pheasants. I’ve never encountered anything like this.
Thanks for everyone’s help.

 

[bigbird]

You put how many poults inside what size of bucket? Do you have any idea what the temperature is in the bucket at the bedding level? Do you know that they do need ventilation and they do need to be able to move freely to and from the heat? Chick feed is not appropriate for turkey poults and not just because of the protein content. I have seen chick feed anywhere from 15% protein to 24% protein. For turkey poults the lysine, methionine and niacin levels also need to be higher than what is provided in chick starter.

You are offering them mealworms but are you offering them grit so they can digest the mealworms? Too many mealworms can cause excessive protein levels and cause kidney damage.

Since you don't seem to be offering them the appropriate feed, are you supplementing their feed with crumbled hard boiled eggs (without the shells)? Crumbled hard boiled eggs are really good for them.

Can you post a video of it? To post video upload to YouTube or Vimeo then copy/paste the link here.[/QUOTE
I hqv

I will try

I have it uploaded to YouTube. How do I get it on here? I can see things like share and copy, but when I try copy, it just says “copied”.

 

[bigbird]

A video of the sick poult.

 

[bigbird]

Can you post a video of it? To post video upload to YouTube or Vimeo then copy/paste the link here.

I posted a video at the bottom of these posts.