Emergency - New baby turkeys look AWFUL - crouching and wont drink!!

[onthespot]

If they are new babies, they need their brooder to be 95 degrees for the first week at least. Get a thermometer to put under the lamp so you know. If you are keeping them in a cardboard box, get some hardware cloth to put over it and you can cover it with a few sheets of newspaper to help keep the heat in if needed. Be careful if you do that, because they can overheat very fast if you cover it too much. Keep checking back if you cover it, keep an eye on the thermometer. You will figure out what works for your house/brooder situation. They "need" it to be warm. I think your main problem was hypothermia, which will kill them pretty quickly. Get them warmed up, put a heating pad under the brooder box if you don't have a light for tonight. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[LizaBlue]

the orange poop freaked me out too because bloody poop means coccidosis and treating with Sulmet, however, on another thread I saw photos of healthy chicken poop that looked red/orangey and it was described as "shed intestinal lining" and normal. so I guess just give a little live culture yogurt? nonfat plain walmart brand said in the fine print that it was active, so that's what mine get. just keep an eye on it.

on turkeys not running away like chicks: as soon as mine were concious, they tried to run and hide, dragging their sick butts away. now that they are healthy they nearly kill themselves looking for a hiding spot, so I put a cardboard lean-to in their tub so they would have some place to stop. they are wayyy more skittish than my chicks seemed.

maybe they do "crave attention", but not from me, lol! they make an ear-piercing whistle-chirp constantly until I open the door, then they shut up until they see me, then they scramble to hide. the week long "serenade" from them and the guineas finally ended last night when hubby put the turkeys in with the guineas - now that they have each other, they are happy as clams, whispering happy little chirps, plotting against me.

 

[aa3655]

Just a very quick update on my babies: they're fine. Their poop, btw, is no longer orangey red... what a RELIEF that is.

Thanks so much for all of the advice... I'm sure it won't be the last time I ask for some!

So now it's "Grow, GROW, my pretties!"

 

[flocksalot]

I'm so glad they are doing well.

They do grow and Grow and GROW! It's totally amazing that they start out as those tiny little chicks. Mine are just starting to say turk turk turk. We have a little poult that thinks she is the little princess and will perch ontop of everything. She is also trying to get out all the time. She just wants to see what I'm doing and where I hide the meal worms.

I hope you are getting to enjoy yours as I get to mine.