i give up!

[spish]

well alls gone well for two weeks then last week one of the poults started with the brown frothy poo... i resumed the cocci meds in the water but sadly it seems it was tool late and she died this morning

(((((

i still have 5 out in the field looking right as rain but im guessing for their own health i should rehome them elsewhere where cocci is not such a big threat. ive been raising these fellas for the past 14 weeks (since they hatched) and cant believe something as simple as putting them outside kills them. (theyve been out there for just 2 weeks) i cant keep them indoors for the rest of their lives so i dont really have a choice but to get rid of them

((((

does anyone else have such a problem with cocci in their area??? these lot have been on medicated feed since birth, and esb3 in their water...how is it possible they are not immune to it??

 

[ColbyNTX]

Sorry you are having so much trouble. Could it be something else? Don't give up.

 

[spish]

sadly its too expensive to keep 'trying again' this is the 2nd flock this year...and at €50 per bird (8 each time) its just too much money too lose

(

 

[jenjscott]

cocci in my flock causes blood in the feces, not brown frothy poo. Sounds like it might be something besides cocci. What meds are you using?

 

[smoothmule]

"Germs" are everywhere. It's unavoidable. Keeping the turkeys in the best of health and the cleanest environment for young birds is the best defense. Nothing is 100% though so there may be losses. The young ones that survive will be the most fit to live in your environment.
Have you given them probiotics? You can truly medicate them to death, they need to develop some immunity and probiotics will give them a measure of digestive health. I would not recommend turkeys be turned out until past 6 months. A good shelter, draft free at night with a pen that gets good sunshine and fresh air is the way to go.
If you ever get even one pair that grows to maturity on your place, their poults will be stronger as well as they are coming from parents that have developed some immunity to the area.
Have you considered mature birds ?

 

[spish]

i have considered mature birds but with the price they cost id b petrified of them also being sensitive to the ground here and keeling over! i know it less likel with adult birds but that risk is always there.
i luckily have still 2 14 week old poults that haveent been in the field yet (i held two back just incase) but knowing my luck they will both be male or both female!

the other 5 i took out of the chicken area last night, made a make shift enclosure in the corner of the field not used by the chickens and set up home there for them (in the middle of a snowstorm so im now suffering today with stiff bones!) but when the snow starts melting at the weekend i plan on covering the ground with something....not sure what yet...just something so that the turkeys cant touch the dirt.

im keeping my fingers crossed now no others are showing signs this morning. im about to get the kids ready for school then wil go let the birds out.......wish me luck eh?

 

[smoothmule]

Have you been letting the young turkeys live in the same pen as the chickens? That may be part of your problem. Young poults are difficult enough but when they're in with chickens, there are illnesses that the chickens can tolerate and get over that will kill young turkeys. I would house them totally separate from other fowl until they're fully feathered. You might consider a broad spectrum antibiotic like aureomycin while they adjust to a new pen or cage. Stress will take them down as quick as illness. They also don't tolerate that sort of cold either, especially the young turkeys. The adults may be pricey, but considering the cost of losing several, if you can't get them grown, the adults may not be all that expensive.

I hope all goes well and you have ended up with a couple of tough ones, hopefully opposite sex.

 

[Lagerdogger]

I agree with the "don't give up" crowd. Just try something different. I was concerned about chicken-borne diseases, so I built an off-the-ground brooder that my poults live in for six weeks. Then they go into a fenced range that the chickens are excluded from. I still lose a few, but not too many. Last year, I started with 17 poults and lost three, all in the brooder. I think your problem might be with the chickens, not the turkeys

I also don't medictate the poults to let them build some immunities. I know some disagree with this but I think it makes for a healthier flock in the long run..

 

[shelleyd2008]

Do you feed them a turkey starter/grower feed? Most of these should have a coccidostat (sp?) in them that would help combat your problems. After they are grown, cocci won't be as much of a problem for them. Maybe try keeping them in a wire-bottomed pen or one with gravel covered with sand for the bottom until they are older?

 

[spish]

yes they are fed medicated feed from day 1...fist starer crumbs medicated against cocci and blackhead disease, then when they hit 12 weeks i put them on grower..thats medicated against cocci. i dont put them outside until they are over 12 weeks...into a corner of my field that the chickens no longer use (but they did use last year)
they also have prducts put into their water 2 x a week which is meant to ward off cocci.....

touch wood so far ive just lost the one so feeling more optimistic at the moment. the cold weather is not helping things (snow snow snow, ice winds and at the moment we are at minus 15 degrees in the day time!)