how bad is it?

[syble]

I have a spring hatched flock of assorted turkeys, a couple of hens have been laying for a few weeks now. I have a blue slate hen i've selected out as a breeder. my dog chased her this morning (i'm not sure if she ran or flew the 200' to the hedge where i grabbed her. she seamed fine sitting chest high in the shrubbery.i grabbed her legs and in the other hand supported her breast (I've always grabbed the birds this way, seams to keep them calm and i can keep them close to the body that way). At any rate, i saw she was breathing hard but just attributed it to her flying or walking that far with the dog chasing her. but when i came home 10 hours later, she seams to be pained. shes walking around with her neck pulled in, back a bit hunched, feathers a bit frumpy and fluffed... her gait is choppy too, not in a way like limping or favoring something just coarse and almost pained... i picked her up to put a saddle on her and she started breathing hard again, open mouthed and what not. any thoughts on what might be wrong with her? shes not right that's for sure. and separating her from the rest just drives her batty.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Try seperating her with a gentle turkey hen. Just keep her away from any Tom. She does not need romace in her condition.

 

[PatS]

Could she just be upset from the ordeal? I have just a little turkey experience, and found turkeys to be much more "emotional" than chickens. Drama queens, almost. We had turkeys mope for a day after getting scolded, and one who acted like she was going to die after getting into a spat with another turkey. Not to imply that yours doesn't have an injury, keep an eye on her by all means.

 

[ColbyNTX]

She could be injured from the dog or flying into something. Did you look really good at her skin under the feathers for punctures or bruising?

 

[syble]

i looked every inch of her over(parted feathers and all), saw no bruising, did find a scabbed over scratch on her back (most likely from one of those toms, hence the saddle), didn't see any discolored or hot areas either. I do find turkeys dramatic like you say, thats why i didn't think much of her when i first brought her back, but when she was still frumpy 10 hours later, thats when you stop and wonder, she does seam slightly improved today, but not by a lot. I'll just have to keep an eye on her i guess, gonna have them out ranging with me. My biggest worry is that she is egg bound or what not, but she didnt' feel hard or anything.