Baby Turkey Help

[perry]

This is my first time raising turkeys. I ordered 10 broad breasted whites from a hatchery. They arrived in good cond. The hatchery sent 12 poults. They arrived tuesday and by thursday evening we have had 3 die and another is not doing well. I have raised chicks many time with no problems. These poults seem fine, and then in just a short period of time they get weak and die. Any Ideas?

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Make sure your brooder temps are high enough 95-100

They are eating.

They are drinking.

What I have done, to help save ones that are weak like that, is to orally give them a water mixture with a syringe.

The mixture I use is 1 TSP of Molasses and 1TSP of Apple Cider Vinegar to a gallon of warm water.

Then I give each weak poult 2-3 cc's of water about every other hour or so for 4-6 hours and then they usually are doing better. One more shot of water at night and usually the next day they are back to normal.

Continue to give the water mixture to them for a week and then just give them 1 TSP Apple Cider Vinegar per gallon of water for the next 6-8 weeks.

You'll not need any medicated feeds with this water mixture.

Good Luck

 

[LoveMyBirds]

Quote:
You have to teach the dumb critters how to eat and drink.. Point to food and dunk the tip of bill in water ..

If you have little chicks running around your place.. put couple in with the turkeys to teach them..

Get some medicated feed... Don't listen to the nay sayers to not feed medicated feed.. Lots of people does with better success.

I got 15 last year and lost 8 before I started using Med. feed..

Maybe co-incidence or maybe it saves their liddle butts..

Just don't let them get cold or wet while very young.. They can't take it like chicks do..

 

[LoveMyBirds]

Quote:
I'll jot this info down and try it should any of my new babies fall ill and see how this works..

I started giving Med. feed to my turkeys after losing 8 last year..

Just in case.. I'll save this info.. Always like to find helpful ideals..

 

[LadyShred]

Turkeys are a little bit harder to raise than chickens, quail, ducks, etc. You have to teach them EVERYTHING. Try putting colored marbles in their water dish to attract their attention to it when you're not there. Dip some water on your finger and stick some feed to it and put it to their face so they can see it, then put it on the ground and tap in a "pecking" manner. This gives them the idea. No telling how long you'll have to repeat these steps though. Some are dumber than others. lol poor little guys can't help it.

Also, since you ordered them from a hatchery, their ride might have been tough. (Cold, wet, bumpy) All this can wear down on newborn babies. I ordered a batch of chicks and 6 were dead at the post office and within 2 days only 4 out of 28 were alive and made it. If you lose any more, you can contact the hatchery and they will usually work with you on cases like this. Some happenings are just out of our control.

Hope this helps ^_^

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

Get some medicated feed... Don't listen to the nay sayers to not feed medicated feed.. Lots of people does with better success.

Well I have about a 2-3% death rate from hatch to 8 - 10 weeks old. Most of these either need to be culled for one reason or another or they just are too weak to continue on, with the rest. Never had any just up and die, be healthy one minute dead the next.

Since I hear this all the time and everybody seems to be going with it,

why and how can medicated feeds keep a poult alive in the first 2 weeks of their life compared to non medicated feeds ??

Do most of you know what the meds are even for ??

All it takes is a few more minutes a day at the brooder and really not even that. You just need to keep everything clean in the first week and after they turn 2 weeks old it would be human error that killed them in my experience.

If you start them off right in the right conditions you don't have these problems.

we never put chicks in with our poults, they learn just fine by themselves, if they are not then you have them in too big of a space for their first days alive. We use the 90 quart plastic tubs and can get 15 in no problems, they stay there for 1 week and then off to the wire floors. with 4 oft he tubs you can hatch or raise out 60+ a week no problems, after use just disinfect and reuse.​

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

why and how can medicated feeds keep a poult alive in the first 2 weeks of their life compared to non medicated feeds ??

From MSU extension service

"Poultry
Medicated chicken feeds

Poultry feeds are available with several types of medications for preventing or treating diseases. Coccidiostats and/or antibiotics are the two most common medications added to feeds.

Coccidiosis is hard to control by sanitation practices alone. It is best prevented by feeding a coccidiostat, which is a drug added to feed at low levels and fed continuously to prevent coccidiosis. Mature chickens develop a resistance to coccidiosis if allowed to contract a mild infection of the disease."

What does ACV do in the water? "Apple cider vinegar destroys microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and others, and prevents poisons from reaching the rest of the systems of the body. It has been proven to inhibit the growth of gram-negative bacilli, Pseudomonas, and Candida. The acid nature of vinegar makes the digestive tract environment unpleasant for germs and fungus."

They both do the same thing. Using one or the other doesn't make a person lazy.

Do most of you know what the meds are even for ??

Coccidiosis in Chickens

"The most common species are Eimeria tenella, which causes the cecal or bloody type of coccidiosis, E. necatrix, which causes bloody intestinal coccidiosis, and E. acervulina and E. maxima, which cause chronic intestinal coccidiosis

Eimeria tenelia
This parasite develops in the cells of the ceca, which are the two blind sacs near the end of the intestine. It is one of the most pathogenic (disease producing) coccidia to infect chickens. This acute infection occurs most commonly in young chicks. Infections may be characterized by the presence of blood in the droppings and by high morbidity and mortality.

E. necatrix
E. necatrix develops in the small intestine (early stages) and later in the cecum (sexual stages). Like E. tenella, it develops within deeper tissues of the small intestine and is a major pathogen of poultry.

E. acervulina and E. maxima
Both species develop in epithelial cells, primarily in the upper part of the small intestine. They cause subclinical coccidiosis associated with marked weight loss. "


Several factors influence the severity of infection. Some of these include the following:

The number of oocysts eaten. Generally, an increase in the number of oocysts eaten is accompanied by an increase in the severity of the disease.
Strain of coccidia. Different strains of a species may vary in pathogenicity.
Environmental factors affecting the survival of the oocysts.
Site of development within the host. Coccidia that develop superficially are less pathogenic than those that develop deeper.
Age of the bird. Young birds are generally more susceptible than older ones.
Nutritional status of the host. Poorly fed birds are more susceptible.
Coccidiosis in chickens is generally classified as either intestinal or cecal. Most serious cases of intestinal coccidiosis are caused by E. necatrix. Cecal coccidiosis is due to E. tenella.
Coccidiosis occurs most frequently in young birds. Old birds are generally immune as a result of prior infection. Severe damage to the ceca and small intestine accompany the development of the coccidia. Broilers and layers are more commonly infected, but broiler breeders and turkey and pheasant poults are also affected.

Coccidiosis generally occurs more frequently during warmer (May to September) than colder months (October to April) of the year. E. acervulina and E. maxima develop in epithelial cells within the small intestine and generally cause chronic intestinal coccidiosis.

Coccidiosis caused by E. tenella first becomes noticeable at about three days after infection. Chickens droop, stop feeding, huddle together, and by the fourth day, blood begins to appear in the droppings. The greatest amount of blood appears by day five or six, and by the eighth or ninth day, the bird is either dead or on the way to recovery. Mortality is highest between the fourth and sixth days. Death may occur unexpectedly, owing to excessive blood loss. Birds that recover may develop a chronic illness as a result of a persistent cecal core. However, the core usually detaches itself by eight to ten days and is shed in the droppings.

Which ever methods you use to raise your birds are totaly up to you and using one or any of the others doesn't make you "lazy" or a bad poultry person. Ask questions, do some research and most important use what works for you and your birds.

Steve in NC​

 

[DawnSuiter]

I'm not a bad turkey momma because I use medicated feed!!! It's the RIGHT THING TO DO IN MY SITUATION!

Don't anyone feel bad if you use medicated feed. If anything, understand the differences between them, and choose what is best for your situation. As many of us start out, we may experiment and find out what works best.

I'm glad for a forum that can show us so many different ways, so that we may discover our own!

 

[chickenzoo]

Which ever way you feed, what I normally do for peafowl and turkeys is add food coloring to the food and water, green & red are real attractants, and make a mash. Just remember you are using it when you see their poo, he he. It normally helps a lot- Good luck

 

[kinnip]

Poly-vi-sol will likely help. Make sure they each get about three drops worth twice a day. If they had a rough trip, or are just unthrifty, poly-vi-sol will perk them right up.