Heirloom Turkey skinny, lethargic, not eating, foul liquid...

[yogithom]

I grew up with poultry. I've had over 100 chickens - Flower Hens, Icelandic, etc. Never had this before. So I'm asking for help, and here's the deal:

two heirloom turkeys. (not the big, meat variety)
one of them, male, has been dragging around for a day.
he's skinny - breast bone sticking out.
very lethargic. been just laying down with his head on the ground all day.


just now, as it got dark, he'd camped out in the middle of the field. with the skunks. owls, coyotes and foxes in our neighborhood, that was tantamount to seeking an honorable death.

i turned him upside down. nasty smelling liquid came out.
a couple hours later i did it again. not nearly as much came out. just a bit.
i'm aware of impacted crop and sour crop, but i've never had to deal with them before.
the crop on this turkey isn't inflated at all. in fact, it's flat like a deflated balloon.

i've got miconazole, epsom salt and acv here.
but if it's not sour crop, the miconazole won't help. nor the other stuff, really.
i haven't mentioned his poop because i haven't seen it.

my 9 year old had his specially selected flock of bantams wiped out by our neighbors idiot dogs (or idiot neighbors dogs. that's probably more fair.) recently. he just got back on the horse with turkeys. i really, really don't need any more death around here.

i haven't done anything yet but massage and dump. that's not going to do it. i can tell.

 

[sylviethecochin]

@azygous

 

[azygous]

It does sound like he has sour crop from the foul liquid he expelled. He may have had it for sometime, and that's why he's so skinny and weak. He wouldn't have felt like eating. Since there are reasons to think he's suffering from sour crop, I urge you to go ahead and start him on the miconazole. Be sure to do it twice a day for a full seven days.

By the second day, you should be able to tempt him with some soft boiled egg and a little dry feed. He's going to need access to fresh water (no ACV).

The bad smelling liquid makes me think he may have an impaction in his digestive track. Feel his crop for anything that might be a hard lump. If there is, then a teaspoon of oil given orally would be a good idea.

Here's my article on crop disorders to fill you in on all the necessary details. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[yogithom]

hi. not sure if the reply was supposed to be blank? or maybe you were just sharing the link.

update: the turkey pooped. on me. it's small and diarreah-ey. i was feeding him a delish mix of yogurt, scrambled egg, miconazole and probiotic.

 

[yogithom]

It does sound like he has sour crop from the foul liquid he expelled. He may have had it for sometime, and that's why he's so skinny and weak. He wouldn't have felt like eating. Since there are reasons to think he's suffering from sour crop, I urge you to go ahead and start him on the miconazole. Be sure to do it twice a day for a full seven days.

By the second day, you should be able to tempt him with some soft boiled egg and a little dry feed. He's going to need access to fresh water (no ACV).

The bad smelling liquid makes me think he may have an impaction in his digestive track. Feel his crop for anything that might be a hard lump. If there is, then a teaspoon of oil given orally would be a good idea.

Here's my article on crop disorders to fill you in on all the necessary details. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you so much for that!
Really - thank you.
I've replaced the acv water with fresh and i'll back off on everything other than probiotic and miconazole...

question:
how much miconazole? i've got the cream not the suppository, and we live an hour from anywhere...

 

[azygous]

For a turkey, I would squeeze out half an inch. You can pry his beak open and just wipe the cream off into the side of his beak. Try offering it to him from your finger first. I've had a couple of hens who liked the taste and took it willingly.