Anyone Know Much About Bumble Foot in Turkeys? ***PICS ADDED***

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Birch Run Farm

Birch Run Farm

Biddy up!
11 Years
Sep 5, 2008
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I received a blue slate tom that was covered in a concrete-like mixture of dried mud and duck crap. So much so almost no clean feathers were visible and you could smell him a long ways away. I filled my scalder up and bathed him and found a big sore on his keel and huge scabs on the bottoms of his feet.

I'll get photos of it all shortly. My assumption is he has been crawling to get around and resting on his keel. I am sure his feet are sore. He has no tail feathers, just quill stubbs and his primaries are a mess too. My guess is the bird was never kept in dry litter, he is the most pitiful thing I have ever seen.

As of now he is bedded on deep loose hay in a dog crate. How shall I procede to rehab him?
 
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I have never seen a bird in that condition. I hope somebody can tell you how to go about saving this poor bird. I am finding myself a bit peeved at whoever allowed a bird to get into that condition in the 1st place.
 
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Bumble foot tends to develop in turkeys who roost high and weigh alot. They hurt their feet when they then fly down and land on the ground. Most heavy weight free-range toms will develop it. It is not that big a deal.

Bumble foot does not necessarily develop a scab.

With this particular turkey, I'd just feed him and give him a clean run. You might want to worm him too.
 
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That's what I would say as well, sounds like it was housed in terrible conditions.

Getting him cleaned up was a job i'm sure. clean litter, clean water, good food should perk him up. I would worm him for sure but you might want to wait a couple days and proceed slowly so you don't shock his system to much. Being in that condition it's pretty much a given he wasn't cared for at all. I wouldn't let him near any of your other birds.

Hard boil him some eggs, maybe fresh greens if he will eat them. Once he is eating good then worm him, check for mites and other bugs. Birds can and do bounce back pretty quickly. Good luck
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Steve in NC
 
I have practically no experience with turkeys but I do know that when rabbits get "sore hocks" we use bacitracin on the open sores and preparation H on any areas that are just swollen and red. Maybe that same stuff can help your turkey?
 
I'll photograph his feet tonight and post the pics ASAP. So please have a look back here and tell me what you think. He is not fat at all. He will be treated with Ivermectin tonight. I wanted to get him cleaned, dried and comfortable at least one day before fooling around with him. While washing him I noticed he did not have lice, no eggs cases either.

He can't step over a low partition (he's too sore) so I could set up a corner in my basement for him with a tarp and shavings near my chick brooder.
 
Poor guy. Clean out an old spray bottle (some will tolerate boiling without deformation) and fill it up with Betadine tea (Betadine cut with enough water so that it looks like strong tea). This can be used to disinfect surface wounds (much easier than dunking turk or trying to daub on), and keep them clean. Plain Neosporin can be useful.

Examine feet and legs (degree of swelling, if any, in feet/ red lines running up legs - cellulitis - sure sign of infection).

How much range of motion does he retain? How is his appetite? I'd be giving him Polyvisol infant vitamins (no iron) four drops a day for a week.

Definitely keep him on soft, clean, bedding.

Bumblefoot is hard to treat in chooks (can get started many different ways) and harder in turks. However, it can be done.

Please post some pics. If the wounds, resulting from the abrading?, are infected he probably needs a course of Cephalexin or the like.
 
All I can tell you is I washed the sores as best as possible. They are large and BLACK. I didn't see any red lines showing that he is septic but I will look him over again real well. He is curious and was playful a bit with the wash rag when I was scrubbing his face. I also had to cut off a section of over grown beak.

When I get home today I will have a look now that he's dry. He did eat and drink and he has company, chicks that he can hear and a new rooster in a seperate cage crowing in his ear.
 

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