Found my turkey upside down

[AuntNomi]

This morning when I went out to check on the animals and feed and water them I Found my turkey upside down flapping and struggling to get up. I do not know how long he was like this. He was very worn out when I found him. I got him turned over but he just laid on the floor of the coop and didn't move much the rest of the day. I tried checking over his body to see if he was hurt. The only thing I could notice is that on both sides where his wings are his feathers were worn down, I kinda think maybe from his struggle to get up??? But I do not know. I was just wondering if anyone has ever had something like this happen or any thoughts on what actually may have happened. I have no idea what happened. He was in the coop alone. Nothing there in his way. All I can think is maybe he fell from his roost, and couldn't get turned back over, but even that just seems very odd to me. Thanks

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I had a bbb turkey do that but sadly I didnt get there in time and she died im assuming of a heart attack. Since she was a meat turkey.

 

[AuntNomi]

I had a bbb turkey do that but sadly I didnt get there in time and she died im assuming of a heart attack. Since she was a meat turkey.

Oh I am so sorry! I was pretty worried I didn't know how long he had been there like that. Still no clue what happened but he seems to be slowly returning to normal.

 

[poorfarm]

If he does it again I would suspect genetic flipover disease.

 

[AuntNomi]

If he does it again I would suspect genetic flipover disease.

Oh wow, I have never heard of that. I will have to research it so I can learn about it. He has not done it again, just that one time. Thank you so much for your response.

 

[poorfarm]

I've never had it in my own line of turkeys, which originally came from an Amish strain from Kidron Ohio. But we got some poults one year at the Rogers poultry auction, thinking, you know, that we should outcross to avoid inbreeding and all that, (and at that point I'd never heard of the disease either), and my nephew was raising them and making pets of them. Then when they got to be about adolescent age, not quite full size, some of them, and one in particular, started to fall off the perch or lose their balance,and thrash around on the floor, almost looked like epilepsy. (and who knows, maybe it's similar). Anyway, she would recover and seem OK, then do it again in a week or a day later. Eventually she couldn't stand up and we euthanized her. Got rid of all the rest of that batch too, whether they showed signs or not, because the vet my nephew contacted said it's a fairly common genetic disorder and there's nothing you can do for it. He said a lot of times birds will be affected mildly enough that people can still breed them, and of course just pass the trait on to unsuspecting others. The vet was very adamant with my nephew that he should never breed any of those birds even if they seemed normal. He said we should cull the parents but we told him they weren't our birds.

Needless to say, we never bought anything at a sale again.