3 week old poults leg problems

[paoniapoultry]

I have searched around the forum to read about poult leg problems - seems like a common issue, but my situation seems a little different. I have 12 poults they are now 3 weeks old and 3 of them, just in the last few days, have developed leg problems. it seems like a problem at the knee joint. 2 of them have both legs that are just kind of bent funny to the back (not to the side) and they can't stand up straight, one of them only has a problem with one leg, but it is kind of crooked and out to the side and this poult is really having trouble walking. oh, i am feeling overwhelmed.

i am feeding a home devised diet of milk, fresh greens (alfalfa, comfrey, dandelion leaves, chard, etc), and sprouted triticale blended together. then i add barley flakes, cracked wheat, wheat germ, kelp, corn grits, and small oyster shell. may sound strange and time consuming to some of you, but i am trying to avoid non-organic, GMO feeds. anyway, i am wondering if it is a protein deficiency? or other nutritional problem? i just scrambled 2 eggs, mixed with milk and cod liver oil and put it in a dish for them. i want my problem poults to get better, and i want to avoid this happening to the other poults.

anyone have any ideas? is there a way to help the ones that have developed this leg problem? i am not sure about the breeds because i just got a hatchery mix, but i think one of them with the one leg problem is a black spanish, and the other 2 are yellow/white in color - my friend told me the hatchery (welp) would not give me broad-breasted whites in the mix - only heritage breeds. but i don't know.

thanks for your help, i am sad about my problem poults. it's a learning process for me, but i don't want my poults suffering.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

i am feeding a home devised diet of milk, fresh greens (alfalfa, comfrey, dandelion leaves, chard, etc), and sprouted triticale blended together. then i add barley flakes, cracked wheat, wheat germ, kelp, corn grits, and small oyster shell.

I suspect that you are not feeding the right amino acid balance (protein) and likely simply not enough of it. It's very difficult to feed enough fluid milk, especially to really young birds, to provide the protein they need.

If you insist on a home made feed I would at the least feed some boiled egg chopped up into your mix. Three a day or thereabouts for birds your age. Poults need high quality protein in larger quantity than chicks. Can't say about the vitamin balance. I think I'd get a bag of vitamin/electrolyte mix and use it in their water.​

 

[paoniapoultry]

Thank you! I agree with you. I have been adding vitamin/electrolyte mix to their water, but just few days I stopped because I wasn't sure if it was good for them or not. So I will start that again. My local feed store doesn't even sell turkey starter, so even if I did feed them commercial starter, it would not be sufficient as chick starter. I scrambled 2 eggs last night poured milk over it and it was all gone by this morning. In their home devised feed mixture the milk is absorbed by the grains, so it is kind of the consistency of a wet mash. But I am thinking still, not enough protein. Also, they are in my house, not getting any sunlight, so maybe vitamin D deficiency too. I have been feeding little bits of cod liver oil, but maybe I will feed more. I am just hoping the ones that already have the problems can get better with an improved diet.

Are boiled eggs better than scrambled? Do you know anything about feeding poults tuna fish or meat scraps for protein?

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Scrambled or boiled, I don't think it matters. Tuna fish would work as well. Don't go crazy with it. Keep it fresh.

As for the feed sometimes it's called game bird starter, some places have it as turkey starter or even quail starter. In my county it can sometimes be hard to find, especially if you want it medicated or unmedicated. May take a bit of calling around.

 

[yinepu]

sounds like a deficiency in niacin or choline / manganese

all of those will cause bad hocks or perosis in turkey poults

 

[paoniapoultry]

hmm, i wonder where i can get niacin or choline/manganese? is it in most mineral supplements?

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
i saw where you had been using a vitamin / electrolyte supplement.. do you have the package around to see if it has a listing on the label? it MIGHT contain everything you need

 

[paoniapoultry]

thanks for all the help. my vitamin/electrolyte mix contains niacin, but i don't see manganese or choline listed. i spoke with my friend in town today who raises turkeys and he says he just throws some raw eggs in to the same feed he feeds his chickens to make a wet mash consistency, and he feeds this same vitamin mix in the water that i have and he has never had a problem like this. does anyone know if there is a difference between feeding the poults raw eggs or cooked eggs?

thanks for all the help! i really appreciate it!