Any turkey owners who have experienced blackhead?

[kfelton0002]

I feel this to my core. Since getting our turkey poult in early March, i have done unending research on blackhead and read everything I possibly could (other than like you said pour concrete and remove all exposure to dirt). It kinda irked me because we took our little rooster to the vet recently, the only avian vet here, and the first visit was 150 bucks just for them to tell me he had a bacterial infection (resp) gram positive and prescribe an antibiotic that didn't work. Went for follow up and then they offered to do a culture, which would have been nice from the start, so we paid another 260 bucks for a follow up visit to tell them the antibiotics did nothing and the culture. I tried to ask the vet some questions about blackhead while i was there, and she proceeded to shame me by questioning how I acquired metronidazole, that I didn't even know for sure my turkey had blackhead, that you can't believe everything on the internet, and that I am basically negligent for having a turkey and chickens (saying the ONLY way they get blackhead is this way, not from say earthworms, wild birds, soil, etc). Then she proceeds to tell me the only cases she ever dealt with were necropsies and basically saying there is no treatment. I didn't appreciate her vibe at all. Like not everyone can afford to spend over 400 bucks on one bout of illness for one of their animals, esp if you have many and given the stress of transport, so obviously people treat their sick animals themselves and this forum is so helpful with so many wise people who have incredible experience...so to deny that made me mad. I totally respect veternarians and the time they dedicated to getting their degree, but as someone with a degree myself I would never claim that i know everything in my field and others without it but with real world experience do not know what they are doing.

I just appreciate everyone here so much and for teaching me and helping me along the way.

Blackhead sucks. I cannot believe there is not a better way to prevent it. I am still trying to understand how an antibiotic like metronidazole provides protozoal suppression. I
most recently read "The mechanism of antiprotozoal activity is not understood yet. However metronidazole's antibacterial activity is believed to result from the disruption of bacterial DNA and nucleic acid synthesis in susceptible anaerobes via a polar metabolite. The 5-nitro group is essential for the therapeutic action of nitroimidazoles."- not sure what that even means yet.

I wish there was more research on finding alternatives to histostat banned in 2000, which previously was used to prevent blackhead but contained arsenic. So crazy! I also wish people were more supportive of using chemical compounds in plants to prevent disease. There is some interesting scientific research on a synergistic effect of citrus oil, cinnamon oil, and allium oil to have antihistomonal activity.

Preach it! I struggle with the notion that a veterinarian could charge you hundreds of dollars to treat a rooster that she didnt even successfully treat. I would have given that old boy some Tylan injections and kept him at the house. How do they expect someone to drop hundreds of dollars on a farm animal when some may barely be able to make ends meet? And people can't give me the "if you can't afford to take it to the vet, you shouldn't own it" baloney. Even poor people have a right to own chickens and turkeys. I come from a very poor family and from a long line of hillbillies. No disrespect because I am indeed a hillbilly, just an educated one. I sound like cornbread. But just because I talk slow doesn't mean I am slow. I know how to research and take care of my animals. None of my poultry ever go to the vet. Never. If we can't cure them, we cull them. It is what it is. Tell your vet to face time me and I will show her a pen full of turkeys that have survived blackhead so far because of metronidazole and bayril. Just because someone is educated doesn't mean they can't be wrong. And your vet is indeed wrong and ignorant on the subject of blackhead and seems like poultry in general. She most certainly wouldn't get a repeat customer if I were you. Lol

 

[Nckyturkma]

Preach it! I struggle with the notion that a veterinarian could charge you hundreds of dollars to treat a rooster that she didnt even successfully treat. I would have given that old boy some Tylan injections and kept him at the house. How do they expect someone to drop hundreds of dollars on a farm animal when some may barely be able to make ends meet? And people can't give me the "if you can't afford to take it to the vet, you shouldn't own it" baloney. Even poor people have a right to own chickens and turkeys. I come from a very poor family and from a long line of hillbillies. No disrespect because I am indeed a hillbilly, just an educated one. I sound like cornbread. But just because I talk slow doesn't mean I am slow. I know how to research and take care of my animals. None of my poultry ever go to the vet. Never. If we can't cure them, we cull them. It is what it is. Tell your vet to face time me and I will show her a pen full of turkeys that have survived blackhead so far because of metronidazole and bayril. Just because someone is educated doesn't mean they can't be wrong. And your vet is indeed wrong and ignorant on the subject of blackhead and seems like poultry in general. She most certainly wouldn't get a repeat customer if I were you. Lol

100% I completely agree! Being self sufficient should be a right and i cannot stand people that talk down to others and are dismissive like that, especially dismissive of a whole network of people who know darn well what they are doing and what works/what doesn't. I was ranting about her to my bf the whole way home, so thank you for agreeing with me that she was flat out wrong and just rude. I definitely will never be going back to that vet, or probably any vet (for my flock) for that matter. I have been trying to learn from folks on here as much as I can and acquiring drugs for various ailments so I am prepared. I even got a microscope and fecasol/slides to do fecal float tests (now if I can figure out what I am looking at haha). Unfortunately I cannot get Tylan in CA without a Rx. I think a lot of vet meds are restricted here without one, but available in pretty much every other state lol I need to look into it more. I found the metronidazole and baytril online without issue, but some seem hard to get. I don't know how that vet stay in business operating that way!

 

[kfelton0002]

100% I completely agree! Being self sufficient should be a right and i cannot stand people that talk down to others and are dismissive like that, especially dismissive of a whole network of people who know darn well what they are doing and what works/what doesn't. I was ranting about her to my bf the whole way home, so thank you for agreeing with me that she was flat out wrong and just rude. I definitely will never be going back to that vet, or probably any vet (for my flock) for that matter. I have been trying to learn from folks on here as much as I can and acquiring drugs for various ailments so I am prepared. I even got a microscope and fecasol/slides to do fecal float tests (now if I can figure out what I am looking at haha). Unfortunately I cannot get Tylan in CA without a Rx. I think a lot of vet meds are restricted here without one, but available in pretty much every other state lol I need to look into it more. I found the metronidazole and baytril online without issue, but some seem hard to get. I don't know how that vet stay in business operating that way!

Here is water soluble tylosin (tylan 50). I know our tractor supply sells tylan 50 injectable in the large livestock section but I'm sure that varies from state to state. The water soluble tylosin works fine as well for respiratory illness. Tetracycline or docycycline are good to keep on hand also for respiratory infections. I like ordering from Jedds. The site is geared for pigeons but the same medications that treat pigeons can be uses for chickens.

https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder

It is good to have to support on sites like BYC. The health of many peoples' birds depend on it. Being self sufficient is best with poultry. Frankly, I can't justify spending a ton of money to raise chickens and turkeys. And even if I wanted to take a chicken or turkey to the vet, I would have to drive several hours away. We have a vet that works for the state somehow and can be available for farm calls and will prescribe metronidazole for turkeys. But why do I need him to prescribe it when I can buy it online? Lol. And it's not like I am blindly treating illness. Blackhead was confirmed by myself on necropsy of a poult I lost. The liver lesions are very telling and quite obvious.