Please help - turkeys are dying!

[BlueMoon]

Realized I probably should have posted this here, not under Turkeys:

We ordered 24 poults from McMurrays last month - 22 Broad Breasted Bronze and two Bourbon Reds. I've been trying to raise Buffs, so we added about 3/4 of them slowly to the broody turkey hens with great luck. Of the ones we put in, three simply disappeared, one was squished and everyone else was fine for about two weeks.

Since then, we've been losing a few a week until this week - two of my older buff adolescents, one of the Bourbon Red poults and we're down to ten Broad breasted Bronze, including one that appears to have an eye tumor and I doubt will make it (He was one we only introduced recently, as we kept him under a heat lamp, trying to sort out why one eye was enormous and developed what appears to be a cataract).

They're on 22% grower, we're in a heatwave, so it's 95-100 only dipping into the 70's at night. They were on water with electrolytes for a few days and now on SpecLinx-50 (because that's what the store had that I could give to chicks so I figured it was a safe choice for poults).

There are so few signs of distress - lowered wings, huddling even though it is so hot and then bam, they're just dead.

We've lost three today, two yesterday and at this rate, none will be left soon. I'm so sad and feel so badly for them.

 

[DTRM30]

A lot of us here in the NE have lost birds to this heat these past couple of days. Do they have shade and cool water ? ( I know, silly question) - maybe try a fan to help them cool off if it is the heat.
Otherwise, I'm not sure .. sounds like it's something that's been going on since before the heat started so probably something else - and the heat hasn't helped.
I hope you don't lose any others !

 

[loverOFchickens]

I am getting miffed at this heat it is not allowed to hurt my birds.

Maybe try Ice in pop bottles? They do it with rabbits.

 

[BlueMoon]

They have shade, fresh water (with antibiotics) and seem chilled, if anything. Wings droopy, huddled together.
I agree - this appears to have started before the heatwave, which is why I put them on electrolytes last week and antibiotics this week.
thanks for your thoughts

 

[reesepoultry]

Turkeys get conjunctivitius real easy. This could be what is wrong with the one.

Also sometimes hens have a hard time excepting new babies, Just depends on the hen.

 

[MotherJean]

I know very little about disease in Turkeys, but Merck mentions:

Coronaviral Enteritis of Turkeys
(Bluecomb, Transmissible enteritis)
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/200900.htm

Clinical Findings:
A short incubation period, often 48-72 hr, is followed by general depression, anorexia, and diarrhea in the flock. Young poults appear cold, chirp constantly, and seek heat. Feed and water consumption drop markedly, and poults lose weight rapidly. Morbidity and mortality may approach 100% in uncontrolled outbreaks.
Morbidity and mortality are variable in growing and adult turkeys. Profuse diarrhea, with mucoid threads or casts in the droppings, is common. Dehydration and weight loss are often pronounced, and several weeks may be required for normal growth to resume. Cyanosis of the head is common [hence the reason it is also called, "Bluecomb"]


Might be barking up the wrong tree, but the huddling as if they're cold seems to fit, doesn't it?

 

[BlueMoon]

Mother Jean, I've been worried about Bluecomb, as we do keep chickens as well. Thank you so very much for that link.
The calf milk replacer with electrolytes sounds like a great idea - we have goat replacer on hand, so I'll try that until I can get out to get the calf. I also heard raw ground beef to get their weight up.

 

[MotherJean]

I wouldn't do raw meat with my chickens, but more importantly, I think you'd boost weight better with grains instead of protein. Besides, you're already giving them 22% grower. Unless they're not eating enough?? You might give them some nutritional support with cooked oatmeal (buy a big bag of the cheap stuff at Wal-Mart). For 10 turkeys, make up about 3 cups of cooked oats and add 1 small container of plain yogurt. I'd feed this once a day in addition to their full ration of feed.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

The heat has been terrible i have lost one bird due to the heat. Try fans, or ice blocks or frozen water bottles. Also make sure they have tons of shade and a place to dust bathe

 

[BlueMoon]

They have shade, places to dust and fresh water with the antibiotics every day.

Last night, I noticed the poults were huddled together and took some of the weaker looking ones to the fount, to dip their beaks. One of my last remaining Buffs just felt all wrong - lethargic, incredibly light, way too hot. Fell over after I gave it some water. Because it was so hot, I popped it up on a roost and it fell off - died in my hands a few minutes later.

I don't know what the death count is this morning, but at this point, I'll be surprised if we have any survivors.

Aside from Bluecomb, couldn't there be hundreds of diseases possible? Some that don't strike until a bird is of a certain age?

I didn't see it in Merck, but is there a way of searching for problems by symptoms rather than by names?