2 week old poult acting 'crazy'

[bucket04]

I looked everywhere on here and the big ol' internet and can't find any help, so thought I would try the straight up and ask approach.

I have poults purchased from Porter's two weeks (and 3 days) ago. Lost a couple in the first few days and have 18 left. All were doing wonderfully till today. I have been taking them outside once a day on nice days since about 3-4 days old.... Today when I went to get them, most flew up to the top of the brooder to go outside, but one kept leaping up like he was trying to get out only to hit his head and wings on the covering of the brooder. He couldn't figure out that he had to move to the open side. After I got them all outside, he started running around in areas that the others weren't interested in, and peeping out like he was lost. He came over to me and tried several times to fly up to my head or shoulders (the first time that ANY of them have attempted that.) When I would take him down, he would peep wildly again and run in weird places getting himself caught up in fences etc.... He pecks at his feathers like he's covered in mites (I saw nothing when I looked him over) and he shakes his head like he's trying to throw something off. He's back in the brooder with the rest now and he's still peeping all the time and stands in the corner of the brooder and keeps trying to fly out (and hitting the covering.)

The only thing I have found on the WWW is "crazy chick disease - A vitamin E Deficiency" which still doesn't quite match up with his behavior. I put DE in the brooder in case it's mites and pretty much bathed him in it as well. I have now added vitamins to the water since I figure it probably won't hurt even if it's not a vit. E deficiency.

This is my second year with turkeys and I have never seen this before. Any ideas out there? I will cull if I have to, but I want to make sure that it's not something that all the others have already and it's just a matter of time for them all to go symptomatic. If it's curable I would rather do that obviously.

Thanks!

 

[ivan3]

Strange. Have you tried holding it in one hand and moving fingers of other hand towards its head to see if it responds to the movement? Almost sounds as if its vision is nearly gone.

Good luck with the vitamins, hope that works! Please post if this clears up or gets worse.

 

[bucket04]

I have not tried that. I have picked him up many times and he quiets down after a while but kinda freaks out at first. He doesn't seem to run into anything in the brooder though, like the waterer or the little roost I have in there. Maybe he's nearsighted.... I'll try giving him an eye test.

 

[ivan3]

Could have been bitten by something, or eaten something odd while out and about. Is it quivering/trembling or assuming an unusual position while sleeping (neurological).

 

[kuntrygirl]

Could have been bitten by something, or eaten something odd while out and about. Is it quivering/trembling or assuming an unusual position while sleeping (neurological).

x2

 

[bucket04]

I have not seen him asleep yet, but he was standing in the corner this morning with his eyes closed, not peeping wildly anymore, and not trying to jump out. When I picked him up he didn't try to run away, and his feet were cold like he's been in the corner (away from the heat lamp) for a while. He's not showing the same symptoms he was yesterday. I don't think his lack of movement is what I would call lethargic just yet.... he seems to have plenty of energy when he wants to use it.
If he was bitten by something, it would just take a little time to move the irritant through his system? Or is there something else other than DE and vitamins I should be giving him?

Thanks guys! I appreciate your time trying to help me figure this out.

ETA: he was trembling a little this morning but I don't know if it was just from being cold, or something else.

 

[bucket04]

Just checked on him again. He is trembling, I picked up a couple others for comparison. A couple more are starting to pick at themselves a little more than usual, and he's back to it. Also, the back of his neck is picked clean. Not sure how he did it himself or if that's even possible. I spread some more DE in there, I'll probably clean out the brooder today and start with fresh bedding with DE on the bottom and mixed into the bedding (pine shavings.)

I am hoping the DE I am using is okay.... it's the only kind I found. Safer brand, yellow bag? (http://hydrobuilder.com/media/catal...78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/f/sf51702.jpg)

 

[kuntrygirl]

Just checked on him again. He is trembling, I picked up a couple others for comparison. A couple more are starting to pick at themselves a little more than usual, and he's back to it. Also, the back of his neck is picked clean. Not sure how he did it himself or if that's even possible. I spread some more DE in there, I'll probably clean out the brooder today and start with fresh bedding with DE on the bottom and mixed into the bedding (pine shavings.)


I am hoping the DE I am using is okay.... it's the only kind I found. Safer brand, yellow bag? (http://hydrobuilder.com/media/catal...78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/f/sf51702.jpg)


 

Trembling? Not good. I noticed that you said that you have been taking them out on nice days. Some turkey owners don't allow their poults to touch ground until they are about 3 months old. Where exactly do you have the poults? You may need to remove them from where they are until you can put your DE or until you're done doing what you need to do with that area. If I had a trembling poult, I would try slipping him in a sock. You can use a "footie" or a regular sock but make sure it's rolled down so that his little head can stick out. The sock should warm him up.

I'm puzzled as to what could be wrong. Please keep us posted.

 

[bucket04]

I have them in the garage in a wooden box 4 feet by 3 feet and about 3 feet deep roughly. I changed out the litter today, bleached the box with Clorox Cleanup, dried it, put down a thick layer of DE, put the new pine shavings in, sprinkled DE around the top edges of the box and tried to get it in every nook and cranny, and I hosed down everything that had been in the box. While I was doing that, the poults were running around outside, and he seemed a little less spazzy today than he had been. I didn't have a long time to mess with them as I put them back in the box, so I don't know if he was still shivering or anything, but if he was, it didn't stand out at me. I will be checking on him in the morning. (I didn't think of the sock thing, but I did hold him close to my body and warmed him up some before putting him back in yesterday. I'll try the sock if he's cold again tomorrow.) I have no problem bringing him in the house to keep him warm while he recovers if I have to..... my husband on the other hand might not be so willing.

I am hoping to have a breeding trio or so out of this group. I can't imagine not letting the babies outside for 3 months... is there some protection they get from the mother that allows them to be safer in the environment?

 

[frank53061]

Just checked on him again. He is trembling, I picked up a couple others for comparison. A couple more are starting to pick at themselves a little more than usual, and he's back to it. Also, the back of his neck is picked clean. Not sure how he did it himself or if that's even possible. I spread some more DE in there, I'll probably clean out the brooder today and start with fresh bedding with DE on the bottom and mixed into the bedding (pine shavings.)

I am hoping the DE I am using is okay.... it's the only kind I found. Safer brand, yellow bag? (http://hydrobuilder.com/media/catal...78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/f/sf51702.jpg)

I use D.E. but I make sure its food grade for safety reasons.