Babies dropping & dying!

[Sara Ranch]

Turkey poults
4 weeks old
First time outside free on the grass yesterday (previously carried outside)
* grass is not treated with any chemicals

1. Found dead - looked like it had been stepped on by other turkeys. No signs of injury. Was fine at bedtime.

2. Just died - no signs of injury. Went outside, pooped white/watery liquid, unsteadily walked to water dish (it was fresh acv water), drank, settled down, put 1/2 face in water, didn't move. Brought inside. Was chirping, tried a few times to stand up, succeeded, then went down drank some sugar water, chirped more, eyes open, eyes closed, eyes open, labored breathing, tried flapping both wings, then expired.

3. Following same pattern.

Plenty of fresh water and fresh food,
Poults were eating grass & bugs. (No poisons are used here.)

No other animals here are sick that I know of. Everyone is really healthy.

Ironically, I went down hard yesterday afternoon. Got stung by something, Thought I'd been shot it was so fast & furious. It caused severe leg pain. I could not walk without help. (Still can't.)

If this was someones post, I could easily give advice, but since its me and I'm bawling like a momma who just lost her baby, I can't figure this one out.

I don't want to loose any more babies. Just yesterday, he was running around happy, chirping, and being a happy poults.

 

[Kiki]

Sorry for your losses and I'm so sorry something stung you, sounds horrible.
Do you see any signs of Coccidiosis?

 

[rjohns39]

I can't identify the cause of your situation and I'm so sorry you're going through this.

I can tell you what I do with mine... I keep them in the brooder for the firs three weeks, during the first week I put marbles in the waterer to keep them from drowning or I use nipple waterers.

Weeks 4 - 8 I move them outside in portable shelters that are 3' tall. I use a bell drinker and keep lots of fresh clean water. I move the shelter to fresh grass every few days. At about 8 weeks I'll move them into the pasture with the adults and let them free range. They are pretty indestructible once they get to 8 weeks.

Poults are far too curious for the first 8 weeks and find all kinds of dangerous trouble to get into. I don't know if this helps or not.

 

[Sara Ranch]

The third guy is sleeping in my arms.

Yeah, these guys were escape artists & always practicing their flying. Do you clip their wings?

These guys were from the same hatch. Didn't grow as fast as the guys from another hatch, same breeder.

No sign of Coccidiosis. I clean daily & socialize often during the day.

This seemed very sudden & very fast. Maybe i was stung so i could be down for the count to hold these guys in their final time. Who knows. Im sad and want to make sure the others don't die. i know, I know - its not my decision.

 

[Kiki]

 

[Sara Ranch]

Fourth bird going down. *sigh*

Guy (who's a girl I think) #3 crawled up my chest and settled on my shoulder. Adjusts herself every now and then. I don't feel as much pain or heat radiating from her now. I did tell her if she wants to go, she can go. It's their decision, not mine.

Fourth bird being brought in now. He will be held against my chest until he moves to heaven or decides to settle somewhere else.

Yeah, I am crying lots of tears. I know they were loved. And I was there for the journey to heaven. (Only one died alone, during night hours.)

 

[rjohns39]

Fourth bird going down. *sigh*

Guy (who's a girl I think) #3 crawled up my chest and settled on my shoulder. Adjusts herself every now and then. I don't feel as much pain or heat radiating from her now. I did tell her if she wants to go, she can go. It's their decision, not mine.

Fourth bird being brought in now. He will be held against my chest until he moves to heaven or decides to settle somewhere else.

Yeah, I am crying lots of tears. I know they were loved. And I was there for the journey to heaven. (Only one died alone, during night hours.)

I don't clip wings. I know it won't help--but my experience with hatching poults is that late bloomers/hatchers and runts have a very high mortality rate. I think I've only managed to save two out of more than a dozen.

 

[Sara Ranch]

rjohn39 - just having someone responds helps me through this.

#4 climbed up my chest and choose to settle with #3. Both have taken sips of water (with sugar and crushed garlic in it), but neither are eating.

#4 climbed down my chest and has settled on my lap. Now sleeping. #3 readjusted and is sleeping.

I don't believe in clipping wings. I know a lot of people do it for a variety of reasons. So the field that your turkeys free range in -- fenced? Trees? Do the guys come to a coop/house every night? Lay eggs in a nesting box?

 

[rjohns39]

I use feather netting for my electric fence. I've got about 300 feet of it out there and move it every couple of months. We have shade trees inside the fence and I recently had to limb some of the trees on the outside as I had a coon climbing the tree and jumping in. Everyone, except my adult Toms have a designated shelter, they all move as well. That said, there's no guarantee or rule preventing sleep overs... My adult Toms sleep under a covered scissor truss. Looks like an X and has a covered wagon style top with roosts every two feet. During the day, all my young poults hang out on or under it when they aren't exploring. About the next box.. No matter what I try, the girls don't like it--but when they are laying, they'll show me where they have chosen.

 

[Sara Ranch]

First pic - #3 by herself in the turkey run. (The turkey run is just for the babies.)
Second pic - #3 just pooped big time on my shirt. She's been snuggling my neck (her choice) for the last few hours. Been able to get her to drink a little garlic & syrup water.
Third pic #3 - more poop from her. Quite a bit came out of her bum.

I had to move her so I could remove my stinky shirt. My shirt looked like a baby had spit up on me! So #3 climbed on the back of the couch and there she sits/lays, able to see the yard.

#4 moved away from #3 and down into my lap. He's been there for the last hour or so. Was drinking water. No poop from this one yet. And it now sounds like this was has a slightly stuffy nose. Still breathing through nose. No open beak.