HELP!!! I think my turkey is sick. I don't know what to do.

[smfamf]

I have a BB turkey. It was given to me about 2 weeks ago. It was destined to be Thanksgiving dinner. We were hoping to wait until closer to the holiday until we process it. It was fine this morning. Now it is lethargic. I don't know what is wrong with it. I actually think it is just getting to be that age when it needs to be processed but my husband doesn't want to do it just yet. Does anyone have any advice?

 

[smfamf]

Does anyone have any advise?

 

[Eggs4Sale]

How old is it?

Is it drinking water and eating well?

 

[smfamf]

Quote:
I don't know exactly how old it is. I believe he was hatched last spring. It was eating and drinking last night. I'm not sure about today. I have been gone all day.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Lethargy is symptom of poisoning and botulism and other yucky things. I wouldn't want to eat a turkey that might have one of those illnesses.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

I guess I should also ask if it's hen or tom.

I know much less about turkeys than I do about chickens, but till someone else gets on here and helps you, I can at least ask questions!

 

[smfamf]

What causes that? Could it just be due to the weather? We have been having a lot of rain lately. It just started last weekend and has been drizzly all week. I know that sometimes chickens will get wierd during bad weather, but I have no clue about turkeys. This is our first one. The original owner didn't want to butcher. He gave us the tom and ten roos for processing. None of them have acted sick until now. It is only the turkey that is acting this way. All of my birds get fed layer pellets, cracked corn, and black oil sunflower seeds. I mix a 150 lbs. of feed with 10 lbs. each of the others. I hope this information will help someone help me.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Quarantine him, of course. If you can put him in your tub, great. Give him infant vitamins, PolyViSol without Iron drops. It's 3 drops along the side of the beak for a chicken. I'd guess a tom would easily be 6 drops if he's at least twice the size of a chicken. I'm wondering if it would help to give him a flush. I sure hope turkeys aren't all that different from chickens.

With all the rain, could he have gotten into something moldy or stank?

 

[Eggs4Sale]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=234542





https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=219553

 

[smfamf]

There was some wet feed the first day but it wasn't moldy. He got to it before I could clean it up. It was pouring, he refused to go in and I refused to go out. LOL.