BlackHead in Turkeys

[Arielle]

I called UCONN last year, and was advised to not house the two together. I can't help thinking this was a canned answer to err on the side of the extreme caution. I would still like more information on this. I do have turkeys and chickens that run together, wild turkeys that visit from time to time and this land has not been farmed in decades before we bought it. ( In Mass The likehood of virgin land is nil.)

 

[Shelshanam]

So glad to hear you chose Royal Palms
I just adore my pair. They are very entertaining and endearing. They love humans, and didn't need any encouragement to attach to us. They were even raised by their parents, yet they still eat out of our hands.

Tom strutting for the silkies

Just being handsome <3
He's only 5 months old. What a big man he is.

I love Royal Palms! First turkey I fell in love with and I didn't even know what they were called at the time. I tried and tried to get the woman to sell me her breeding trio and she wouldn't do it.

So I did my research and I wanted Royal Palms but the person who wants 3 of the poults out of my spring order wanted a little bigger turkey so reluctenly I agreed to the Narragansetts. Thankfully I found someone who has Royal Palms that are still laying and got some hatching eggs from them as I want some pet Royal Palms!

Your tom is very handsome! I'm so excited to get my eggs and hoping for a good hatch!

 

[Shelshanam]

Well here is the official state reply. Probably the canned version but still I guess it confirms what I already figured.

Shelley,

Your question about histomoniasis in turkeys has been forwarded to me.

It is not uncommon to find histomoniasis in our state. We don't keep specific records on this disease, but I do know of veterinary practitioners in different locations in the state that have dealt with the problem.

As you know, histomoniasis is caused by a protozoan parasite that infects the digestive tract of turkeys, chickens, and occasionally other galliform birds. In turkeys, most infections are fatal. In chickens and other birds, mortality is less common. Mixing chickens and turkeys is not recommended as there is a high risk of the parasite infecting the vulnerable turkeys.

I hope this information is helpful.

Let us know if you have further questions.

Best regards,

Brad

Brad R. LeaMaster, DVM, MS, PhD
State Veterinarian
Oregon Department of Agriculture
635 Capitol St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-4680

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have a huge blackhead problem here, but I'm managing by recognizing early symptoms and treating with metronidazole and fenbendazole. I'm not planning on eating my turkeys, so I have no problem with using FDA banned drugs like metronidazole and Baytril.

I didn't realize that you had a bad blackhead problem in your area. You have your hands FULL! That sucks big time!

 

[casportpony]

I didn't realize that you had a bad blackhead problem in your area. You have your hands FULL! That sucks big time!

Last year it was with the poults, this year it's been with the peachicks. I have 100's of hours invested in caring for the very few that I have, it's been rough.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I didn't realize that you had a bad blackhead problem in your area. You have your hands FULL! That sucks big time!

Last year it was with the poults, this year it's been with the peachicks. I have 100's of hours invested in caring for the very few that I have, it's been rough.

Sorry to hear that. It's always heart breaking to lose any of our babies but it's comforting in knowing that we do all we can do to save them. And the ones that we don't save, we use what happened to them to help others so it doesn't happen to the next person. It's a learning experience and we definitely thank you and the many others who provide such great and helpful information. We couldn't do it without you and everyone else. Keep up the good work.