Help! turkey chick injury

[pebblessix]

Just get him walking as much as possible. Using it will keep it from stiffening up. You're doing great!

 

[clockworkem]

*sigh* This is getting really frustrating

I tired to re-introduce the chick to it's friends, only to see it get pecked at. At one time, another male puffed up and started walking on it!

The chick refuses to get up and go over to it's food and water. It instead waits for one of us to come by and give it nourishment -_-

Shouldn't the chick know to get it's own food by now? I know it's injured still, but it can still hobble around...

SPEAKING OF WHICH, the chick still isn't trying to use it's injured leg. The wound wasn't that bad, and has scabbed nicely. Every time the chick tries to get up, it flaps awkwardly and nearly always knocks over it's water container, soaking the box it's in.

And now, since the house is very quiet, he's cheeping piercingly loud cheeps because it thinks it's alone! I can't watch over it all the time...it's giving me a headache.

What should I do? Grin and bear it?? Or try some new tactic? Input would be appreciated...

 

[pebblessix]

I recently dealt with a very ill (seizures) turkey baby. She would not get up and walk. I would take her out in the yard to visit her mama and she would sit and watch all the other turkeys. One day a rooster spotted the little turkey and made a beeline for her at a run. This scared the little turkey so badly she jumped up and ran! When the other turkey started to step on your little one, did she/he even try to run? Be very careful, because the other turkeys can trample this baby to death quicker than you can blink your eyes. They will play follow the leader and trample as a group. You cannot turn your back for a moment or the others will wipe him/her out. Best to keep them seperated. I learned this the hard way and it was a heartbreaking experience. As for feeding, try putting the feed close by. If baby can see the feed, but not quite reach it, this will encourage walking. If you are feeding whenever baby cries, why should baby feed him or herself? When my baby turkey would not walk, I literally held her up in a standing position and moved her legs in a walking motion, forcing her to exercise. This was done out in the yard, so that dirt & grass provided traction. It was back breaking, but effective. Another thing I did with my baby was put her in a small harness that was made for walking a ferret or rabbit on a leash. I let the baby dangle in this for 5 minutes at a time, so that her feet just touched the floor and any pressure made her push herself up. Kinda like a Johnny Jump Up for human babies. Have you ever seen one of those? All this is labor and time intensive and I do have a full time job so I understand not being able to be there all the time. Have you given any vitamins? I hope some of these suggestions help.