Help Turkey babys keep dieing

[goose man al]

I just got 12 baby turkeys and i am now down to 8. I dont know why but they keep dieing . They will be fine and then a bit later they woulnt walk and just lay there . Could it be that they are just the runts or what. Please help

 

[thaiturkey]

Can you give some more information such as how old they are, how long you have had them, feed, how you keep the, what other animals are around?

 

[PatS]

I had problems with my first batch of poults. I don't know whether it was stress from the shipping, but I lost 2 of 4 babies. They seemed to understand where the food and water were and didn't seem to have a disease, but died. The second batch, we put a chick in with them. S/he kept everyone eating and drinking on a regular schedule and they ALL survived. I think maybe my first batch of babies forgot to eat and drink as often as they needed to. The baby chick acted like their Mom and kept pointing out the food to them.

Maybe you could try that? use your finger (a friend of mine used a chopstick because he had a zillion) and tap it in the food till they eat. Then tap it in the water until they drink. Do this many times a day for their first two or three days of life, then they seem to remember.

Their babyhood is a difficult time for turkeys.

Good luck!

 

[deerman]

First started them on a medicated turkey starter, keep them on wire(not on the ground) for first month. don't put were chicken have been kelp.

Yes make sure they are eating , but most case its because people try raising them on the ground. Last two years i hatch and raised alot of poults without losing a single poult....keeping them on wire keeps them out of the mess.

 

[mylilchix]

I'm raising turkeys for the first time this year. I ordered 10 and lost 3 within the first week. I bought 4 to replace the 3 I lost, and they've been doing really well ever since. I haven't had any problems since I've moved them to an 8x8 coop outside that hasn't been used by chickens. I've put them on pine shavings and feed them game bird feed. The extra space has really helped. Even though I had them in a 2x4 brooder to start out with, it seemed like it may have been a bit small. You could also just have a bad batch. I had a friend who got in on a large order she lost 8 of her 10, and her friend lost 25 out of 30.

Sonja

 

[goose man al]

well lost anothe one this moring. I dont know what happended to it it was fine last night. I only have one small guy left and the others are a bit bigger. Any tips or advice would be much helpfull. they are 5 days old

 

[shaft0463]

Why should you not keep them where chickens have been kept?

I have lost 4 out of the 6 I started with. They would seem fine one night, and then be dead or close to it the next. But then I have also lost quite a few chicks recently. I think they got coccidia and a flu from a couple hens I bought from a family friend.

 

[thaiturkey]

Quote:
Chickens and the land that they walk in can harbour Blackhead. Many turkey keepers seem to get away with it so perhaps the problem isn't universal. Here's some more information:

http://www.helium.com/items/1356131-blackhead-disease-in-poultry

I frequently see reports of losses involving shipped poults. Is it possible that the journey and consequent rough handling, disorientation and shock are too much for some of them? Could the nature of their hatching and brooding mean that they pick up illnesses before shipping? Perhaps the brooding environment is so different from what the customers provide that some don't survive the change.

I'm new to turkey keeping so I still have many more questions than answers. I'm learning, though, that nature's way is best. From our first laying, 17 of 27 eggs hatched. Most of the remainder seemed to be either infertile or the embryo didn't develop. The ones that hatched had a full course of preventative medication (one more shot to go today) and were kept with one of the sitting hens. She has taught them to feed, they respond to her danger calls, she has kept them warm at night and generally done a brilliant job. They are now in their own coop with mum still in attendance. They are about six weeks old and only one has died. It was spotted by the others as a weakling soon after hatching and just couldn't make it beyond four weeks.

 

[pdpatch]

Quote:
Since you say you most likely have coccida or flu, that is the problem.

One of the first things you do before having poults and chicks is check the health of your flock if it's not good or you have problems don't keep them together. In some cases you can't even keep them on the same land for 5 to 6 years after an out break. A chicken has more natural immunity to some poultry desieses where a turkey does not, so usually the fatality rate is higher in turkeys.

a turkeys immunity system is not fully developed until about 9 weeks a chickens is by 4 weeks, so little thing like a minor flu will can effect turkeys more when younger.

The most common way to have you poultry infected is when something that is brought into the flock by humans. This is usually done when some goes between an infected flock and one that is not. The next most common is through adult poultry that are moved from one flock to the next you should always quarantine new birds as a just in case they do have something. New chicks purchased from hatchery stock are usually not a problem, mostly because the eggs are removed form the hens rather quickly. But some dieses and viruses can be passed from the hen to eggs while in the hen. When this happens the egg laying flock is usually culled.

Also when it comes to Broad Breasted Bronze and great whites, you have to start them off a little differently then a heritage turkey so you don't loos them when they are young. They require more protein, and a slightly different mix of vitamins and minerals because of there faster growth rate.

Blackhead is more likely to exist in warm wet climate then dryer colder climates. If you live in the north western states like Washington or Oregon along the coast it's more likely that you can have Blackhead in you area then if you live in Arizona or Minnesota. You can also check with your local AG service to see if there has been any Poultry outbreaks in your are. Since all poultry desiese and virus out breaks are to be reported to them.

Tom

 

[kuntrygirl]

Can anyone post a pic of a chicken that has blackhead?