Dying trurkeys,

[lorrir]

I originally posted this in the emergency section, but have been advised there is a turkey section, so I am reposting.

I had 4 turkey ( 3 bronze, one white) about 4-5 mos old, I was letting them free range during the day and they were putting themselves to bed (coop) in the evening.

I have 9 adult hens and one roo, I also have 7 hens about the same age as the turkeys 4-5 mos old.

The turkeys started roosting in with the chickens at night bumping the small hens out, so I locked the turkeys down in their coop.

My husband and I were away for three days and I had doubts that my sons were watering the animals so i told them to let everyone out and free range knowing they would find food and water. When we got home we found a dead turkey, there was a wound up under his wing. We thought the roo had gotten him, maybe over roosting in the chicken coop.

A week later we lost another turkey, same type of wound under the wing, oozy and green, I had locked them back down after losing the turkey last week. He was panting and laying about not looking real good

Now I have one bronze jake with a raw oozy area on his chest. The white hen seems to be unaffected.


No, the dogs didn't get them

Don't think the rooster did it either

The pen did get a little messy after I locked them down, not horrible but messy.

I have a tarp over a tall 10x10 dog pen the tarp covers the top and back. It has gotten really hot here in SC but the pen is much cooler than the blazing sun.

I don't know if it's mites and lice and they are diggin at themselves, or "jungle rot" because they are penned up. Or they are over heating.


I am letting the two survivors free range and find their own shade, Still offering water and food in the pen, which is now open door. I mucked out the pen and replaced with new straw.

Should I put powdered lime down, like I do in the chicken run?

I'm concerned because I have 26 turkey babys in the pen next right next door.


Thanks

 

[Emzyyy]

I don't know anything about turkeys but Im sure someone else can tell you.

 

[walkswithdog]

With festering wounds you could have either parasites, or spiders (they're horrid this year), or RATS, which is more likely.

Penned up where they cannot get away - rats will bite them in their sleep. In this weather, especially if they were cooped and heat stressed, the wounds would fester and the birds die.

Clean it out, use stall dry to dry it. Trap heavily for rats. Make sure you don't have too much grain about, even if you have to feed only what they'll eat at one feeding morning and night. Seal or hardwire over even the smallest gaps if you want to keep rats out. If you have any large gaps the problem could even have been an opposum attack.

Do you have Blackhead where you are? Ask your extension agent if you don't know. While atypical in presentation, this could be part of the problem.

Traps, cleaning, drying and observation are about all you can do. Check each bird for wounds daily to catch anything BEFORE it festers. Wash wounds out with 1/3 peroxide to 2/3 water( I use a huge plastic syringe to flush) and then use either Blue Kote or Blue Lotion - same thing different label, to prevent infection. Re-spray wounds every couple of days if they happen til healed.

 

[lorrir]

Turkey chest is crusty, I'm taking this as a good sign.

 

[Blackbird]

Well, if it is rats, Walkswithdog is right, gonna need to try and trap them, they'll be even more tempted by the baby turks.