backyard turkeys??

[Stacyr]

this is a different subject, that I have a broad breasted bronze hen that is other over a year old now. She seems to be having some difficulties walking we have checked her feet from bumble foot or any other injuries. And can't find any but to me it looks like her feet and legs are swollen. Just wondering if anyone else has had the same problems? I live in a small town and the only thing that we have here is farm vet, they really don't do these type of bird. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[TattooedMama]

this is a different subject, that I have a broad breasted bronze hen that is other over a year old now. She seems to be having some difficulties walking we have checked her feet from bumble foot or any other injuries. And can't find any but to me it looks like her feet and legs are swollen. Just wondering if anyone else has had the same problems? I live in a small town and the only thing that we have here is farm vet, they really don't do these type of bird. Does anyone have any ideas?

There are scaly leg mites that can get under the skin of the feet so that is one possibility.

My first guess is if it is a broad breasted turkey, and she is over a year old it is very likely that she is just too heavy for her legs. Broad Breasted varieties are designed to grow an enormous amount of meat and muscle in a short amount of time, they are not designed to live past a year. In fact, the majority of them get butchered around 20 weeks of age as they are plenty big by that time. If they are not butchered they will grow larger and larger until they have a multitude of health problems associated with their larger than normal stature. These birds aren't meant to be kept as pets, though some people certainly manage to pull it off by strict feed schedules from a young age, but even then their lifespan is very limited versus a heritage breed turkey. Eventually they pant heavily as they have trouble breathing and cannot walk.

 

[Stacyr]

Hi thanks for your input, but only living in a year before she gets health problems very sad to us she is a very loving turkey. She loves to be cuddling kissed on. +4 months ago we got two more broad breasted bronze male and female we hope. because I read that the BB bronze made wonderful pet, but maybe I should've done little bit more research. what kind of signs to look for if she has the leg mites?

 

[TattooedMama]

[COLOR=800080]Hi thanks for your input, but only living in a year before she gets health problems very sad to us she is a very loving turkey. She loves to be cuddling kissed on. +4 months ago we got two more broad breasted bronze  male and female we hope. because I read that the BB bronze made wonderful pet, but maybe I should've done little bit more research.  what kind of signs to look for if she has the leg mites?[/COLOR]

For the leg mites you can get good information by doing a google or BYC search, I don't know much about it. The scales would look raised and irregular from what I have read. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news about your turkeys. Unfortunately a lot of people seem to buy their first turkeys at feed stores when they see them, unaware that the broad breasted bronze are a short lived strain. If you start restricting their feed now, and encouraging exercise through foraging it can help extend their life but most people start this at a young age. Heritage turkeys can live 10 years; those are what you want for pets. Not all feed stores carry heritage breeds, you would have to ask and sometimes they can special order them for you. Craigslist is another good place to look, you don't want anything broad breasted. Heritage breeds are Narragansetts, bourbon reds, midget whites, blue slate, royal palms, etc. I just started with turkeys and I really enjoy them, I hope this experience with the broad breasted a doesn't deter you from trying a heritage breed. I know it's hard to lose beloved pets. She sounds like a sweetheart =)

 

[Stacyr]

Yes she is a sweetheart, I have been doing some research on those other breeds you mentioned there some beautiful turkeys out there. Even though knowing what's can happen to my babies, I really enjoy watching them grow up to big babies and I think I will always have turkeys around me.

 

[TattooedMama]

Yes she is a sweetheart, I have been doing some research on those other breeds you mentioned there some beautiful turkeys out there. Even though knowing what's can happen to my babies, I really enjoy watching them grow up to big babies and I think I will always have turkeys around me.

There are lots of beautiful varieties out there. I like to check the reviews on BYC for each breed as they can give insight from members as to what were the pros and cons of each breed. For example, some are more friendly or flighty than others. Flightiness for me was a concern as I have irritating neighbors on one side who wouldn't be happy to see a turkey fly over the fence. There is a wealth of information here on BYC.