HELP! My turkey has crookneck. What is this and how to treat?

I've searched several times on BYC but any discussion of crookneck or wryneck has very little info.

Symptoms: Yesterday I noticed my adult turkey tom's neck was hunched funny. Today it's twisted nearly all the way around and he's not eating, which is very strange. (He is a creature of habit, typically). He didn't even get off the roost this morning. He's several years old, has seemed healthy up to now. He's been breeding with my hens. He's about 25 pounds (a Bourbon Red, heritage turkey)

I think he has "crooked neck" syndrome, but does anyone have info on what this is exactly? What should I treat him with?

anybody know?

I saw your post and I knew that I had to post. My tom had the same problem. I have experienced this. My tom's crocked neck started 10-19-2009. As of today, he is doing great! The crocked neck is gone and he is VERY healthy and is beautiful. He has since bred with 2 of my girls and last week 12 baby turkeys hatched from 1 hen (but the chickens attacked and killed 8 babies) and today 5 baby turkeys have hatched from another hen with 4 more eggs that I hope will hatch.


This is what I did. I gave him a shot of Tylan 50 twice a day for 3 weeks. I also put Enfamil Poly-Vi-sol Essential vitamins for infants and Toddlers (it's in a purple and gold box) in a syring and squirted it in his mouth twice a day. I also gave him pedialyte as often as I could. I also cooked eggs, mashed potatoes and grits and hand fed twice a day.


I hope this helps. Please keep us posted and let us know what happens. I would be more than happy to help you through this since I have experienced it first hand. People that knew me around here (relatives, etc) told me that I should cull my turkey but I refused. I do not cull sick animals until I have exhausted all avenues in trying to make them healthy again. He was not going to die on my shift and he didn't.


Here is the thread that I started on BYC about the crocked neck.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=258511&p=1

Sorry to hear that. Any change in droppings, or any change in breath sounds/frequency of?

Other than hoping it is a result of some random injury (with a quick recovery), all I can suggest are the usual supportive interventions, most in link provided by kuntrygirl.

You might try Aspirin along with polyvisol (see if he doesn't loosen up).

Could be the result of anything from a nasty bacteria transmitted by mites to fowl cholera (both unlikely, but it is quite range of suspects without more specific symptoms to narrow the field).

Good luck!

I had a young poult with the same symptoms as yours. I added Poly-vi-sol without iron to the poults waterer and in a few days the little poults neck had straightened out. There's still the slightest bend to it but I have to really look to see it. I didn't give anything else besides the vitamins. Hope your turkey improves; I've only had experience with this once and the poult was just a few weeks old.

Thank you. I just went out and checked on him and he is just lying down in his coop. I have water and food right next to him, but I don't know if he's eating/drinking. He can kind of bend his neck back to the frontward direction but his opposite shoulder kind of remains hunched up. His droppings look good -- normal (no wormy look or anything, just looks healthy).

Kuntrygirl, do you know what caused the crooked neck? My tom looks exactly like the one in your photo! Same hunched/curled neck.

There aren't any breathing difficulties or fowl pox or anything in my tom... I've had him for 2 years, and he walks gingerly, I always assumed that was because he's a big guy. But he follows the hens all over the pastures, and flies up to a 4 foot roost every night. He never seemed to eat much... mostly just shows off for the girls while they forage. He dips his head and gets about 5 or 7 beakfuls of feed every morning and a few times in the day. I don't really watch him all day long, but I assume he eats when he's hungry.

He had worms a few months ago but I wormed everybody. I wonder if they are back and are causing some kind of nutritional problem. Should I worm him again (all they sell here is Piperazine) plus all the nutritional supplements you suggest kuntry girl?

Also, where do you buy Tylan 50. Also, what is it? What would I be treating with it? I go to a hardware store here that has livestock supplies. But they mostly have stuff for cows and horses, and/or huge poultry farms with thousands of birds. (not for individual birds). Kuntrygirl, I'm going to get the vitamins and food treatments that you suggested. I can do that. He's not a tame guy, though, I'm not sure if he'll let me give him a shot or put anything in his beak (I've never held him or even touched him -- got him as an adult, and let him out of the box! He now lets me get within 3 feet without freaking out, but that's about as close as I ever get).

I'd like to keep him because he's been a good breeder (3 sons that dressed at 20+ pounds in 7 months).

Sorry it took so long to respond, I'm setting up my two new pasture coops and it's exhausting work outside! I'm on break again now.

Sorry I'm replying so late but i have been outside building a larger kennel/pen for the new baby turkeys. Ok, now let me try to answer all of your questions.....


What caused crooked neck? When my tom first got crooked neck, I spent MANY hours a day researching what could be wrong with him. This is some of the information that I read online.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/203404.htm

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/98/mycoplasma-meleagridis-infection-mm


Crooked Neck - A disease of turkeys thought to be due to airsacculitis caused by Mycoplasma meleagridis. A similar syndrome in Brown Leghorn chickens is due to an inherited defect.

Mycoplasma meleagridis infection is a widespread, egg-transmitted disease of turkeys found worldwide. The primary lesion in the progeny is airsacculitis. M meleagridis is thought to be a specific pathogen for turkeys, and the organism is commonly found in the respiratory and reproductive tracts. It has been eradicated in most basic breeder and many commercial flocks.

Signs

•Reduced hatchability.
•Slow growth.
•Leg problems.
•Stunting.
•Mild respiratory problems.
•Crooked necks.
•Infected parents may be asymptomatic.


Treatment
Tylosin, spiramycin, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones. Effort should be made to reduce dust and secondary infections.


In your post you said...............""There aren't any breathing difficulties or fowl pox or anything in my tom". "I've never held him or even touched him -- got him as an adult, and let him out of the box! He now lets me get within 3 feet without freaking out, but that's about as close as I ever get." Your tom could possibly have an upper respiratory problem that you cannot "hear" being as though you can only get within 3 feet of him. I thought the same thing about my tom. I didn't think that he had any breathing problems either until I caught him and listened to him breath. He did sound as if he had a bad cold and was congested. Sound like he needed to blow his nose. If I hadn't caught him and did a head to toe visual check and listened to him, I would have never known about the respiratory problem. I got my tom as an adult as well and no one can easily catch him. Myself and my male relative used a net to catch him.


Should you worm him again plus all the nutritional? I don't think that he has worms from what you said. ("His droppings look good -- normal (no wormy look or anything, just looks healthy). " I think he just has the crooked neck. If I were you, I would concentrate on what i suggested which leads to the next question.

What is Tylan 50? Tylan 50 is an antibiotic.

Where do you buy Tylan 50? You should be able to find it at any feed store. You may have to call around before you go out searching.

What would you be treating with it? I hope I understood this question. You should get a needle and give your turkey a shot in the chest. Well, that is what I did. He received an injection twice a day. The man at the feed store told me to put it in the tom's water but I didn't listen to him. I wanted the medication to work ASAP and giving a shot did it for me. The box of Tylan 50 that I have has on it "For Use in Cattle and Swine" but I read and the man at the feed store said that it was safe for Turkeys and it was.


Recovery time - After 2 days of hand feeding boiled eggs, squirting syringes of pedialtye and Enfamil Poly-Vi-Sol Multivitamins for infants and toddlers down my tom's throat, my turkey finally showed some signs of hope. He had been roosting on the ground with his head almost touching the ground with open wings. On the 2nd day and after 30 minutes of hand feeding him, he flew on the fence that he usually roosts on and went to sleep. On the 3rd day after hearing how congested he was, was when I went to the feed store to get the Tylan 50. After administering the shot and within 24 hours I saw great improvement! He was eating and drinking on his own. His neck was still crooked but was straightening up slowly but surely. I would say that within about 6 weeks, he was back to normal. The crooked neck was gone and it has never returned.

I hope that I have helped you out a little. I am definitely no Turkey expert and I know that there are a few turkey experts on BYC who may be able to add something that I missed.

People that I told about the crooked neck came over to see and was amazed to see the turkey looking that way. They just knew that he would die. After seeing him recover and seeing that his neck straightened out, they could not believe it. They were amazed. One older gentleman now comes to me with any and all chicken, duck, geese and turkey problems and looks for my input. He said that if I cured my turkey, then I must know what I'm doing. . I just thanked him for the compliment and told him that the internet and BYC is where I learn.

One last thing. Please keep an eye on his food intake and water intake. Please dont assume that he is eating. Please know for sure either way. It is important to keep him fed and hydrated. If you have to hand feed him, then please do that. You may need help catching him and definitely need help giving him the injection. It took 2 people to give my tom his injection. He is HUGE! I'm a woman and i couldn't do it alone.

Many people told me to place him in an area away from the other animals so that they would not get infected with what he had. I didn't liste because I didn't want him to be confined and get depressed from not being with his girls and his other friends. Luckily, no other animals were infected. So, I don't know if you want to place him in an area alone or not. That's up to you but as I said, everyone told me to separate him from the rest of the flock.

Just a note before closing. You are in for some hard work that is time consuming. It was not easy for me at all but in the end it all worked out. He survived and is walking around the barnyard like the king that he is. I just went outside to take an update pic of him but I couldnt get a good pic because he is soooo busy strutting his stuff around his girl and his new baby turkeys.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Keep us posted.

I just noticed that we have the same breed turkey. We both have a Bourbon Red Tom.

Before Crooked Neck


Crooked Neck



After Crooked Neck



Some of his babies

Kuntrygirl,
Thank you for answering all my questions! You were making bigger turkey pens today and I was fixing up new pasture houses/pens for my chooks and turks today. That must be what BYC'rs do on a nice Saturday!

I tried to find Tylan 50 today, but the places I went to didn't sell it. I will call around on Monday. I'm also glad to hear that the recovery is not too long. Today my tom went out and about the pasture when one of his girls got off her nest for a while, and I saw him eating grass and also stopping at the feeder, so I'm glad he's still eating and moving around. In fact I think the reason he didn't leave his coop today is because every hen is nesting. duh. he has no one to follow around or to tell him what to do-- his main motivation in life besides looking purty.

By all the poops he left, today, he MUST be eating. I work full time, so I'll have to put on my turkey wrestling clothes before I get ready for work in the morning to do this care, but I may put the Tylan in the water if I can't give the shots. I don't have anyone who will work with me on the turkeys --they're either too far away to do it daily, or completely wimpy/afraid of working with the turks. I know what you mean about separating them -- when my turkeys are sick, I try to keep them together because they get so upset and stressed about not being together that they end up injuring themselves even more. I wish it wasn't going to rain for the next 4 days.

Where did you give the shot in his chest? Was it center, or on the side, or all different spots? Maybe it doesn't matter? If it does, can you be as specific as possible?

I did notice his feathers on his stomach area are coming out.... but I assumed that was an early sign of him molting. Is that a symptom that your turkey had?

I will be treating and feeding him and will keep you posted.

By the way, I showed a family member how weird the crookneck turkey was, and they said they had strained their own neck muscle yesterday. We had a laugh, thinking about the connections between him and the turkey.

Glad to hear that he is still eating well and moving around good.

Well to answer your questions...............

Where did you give the shot in his chest?

I'm glad that you asked about where to give the shot. I said the chest area but it's more like the breast muscle area. Sorry about that but I wanted to clarify. All I did was felt around until I felt what I thought was the muscle area. You will know the spot when you feel it but if you decide to put the Tylan in the water, then you won't have to give shots. I understand when you say that you don't have anyone to help you. Most people were too afraid to help me and these people where MEN! . I was like, "Come on dude. How are you going to let a woman handle a turkey and you be afraid." Most of the men that i asked were too scared.

Was it center, or on the side, or all different spots? I rotated the shot in different areas so that he wouldn't be so sore.


Maybe it doesn't matter? I feel that it does matter and this is why. Giving an injection twice a day for 3 weeks in the same spot would not be a good thing. Just think about yourself having to get a shot 2 times a day in the same arm. Not comfortable huh?


If it does, can you be as specific as possible? You just have to feel around the "meaty" part in the breast but the breast is meaty anyway huh? Feel around on your own breast and try to feel for the more meaty part and imagine that part on your turkey. I hope that helps. I looked for anatomy picture on line to post for you but I couldn't find one. Sorry.

I did notice his feathers on his stomach area are coming out.... but I assumed that was an early sign of him molting. Is that a symptom that your turkey had? My turkey did have early signs of molting. He looked TERRIBLE !!!!! He looked like a mangy dog. If anyone would have seen him, they would have thought that I was abusing him and not giving him proper care and that is far from the truth. I take better care of my animals then I take care of myself.


If you have a Tractor Supply Store near you, they should have Tylan 50. If not, call your local vet's office.

I hope that I was able to help with your questions. Please , please post if you have any more questions. This is a serious problem and I want to make sure that you are able to give the right care to your turkey. Your turkey can overcome this. He will be ok.

Good Luck !