Is this Mycoplasma?!

[SandyBird]

Good evening everyone! I was just tending to my Grandpa's Turkeys and I noticed that they appear to have something funky going on with their eyes and skin.. They did not look like this a couple of weeks ago. We have had a lot of rain here and they love splashing around in the mud puddles so maybe they caught something there. I initially thought it was bug bites and treated their coop with DE but after some Google-ing I'm afraid they may have Mycoplasma gallisepticum.. Which I know nothing about. Can anyone confirm by the picture that it is in fact MG? The white female has it the worst.. Her eyes are so swollen and a bit foamy and she has been scratching them. I haven't noticed any sneezing or wheezing or really any other symptoms tho. Thanks for reading and for any replies

 

[Pyxis]

and sorry for your trouble. I would post in the turkey forum to confirm, since I am by no means a turkey expert, but that looks like it could be blackhead disease or fowl pox.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome. I agree with Pyxis in posting on the turkey section. It might just be fowl pox, and they can sometimes get eye infection from a secondary infection. Google fowl pox in turkeys, and look up at images. Merck vet manual has some pics like that of pox. Although pox is a virus, it might help to treat with an antibiotic such as Tylan or tetracycline to treat mycoplasma as an eye infection. Terramycin eye ointment is also good to treat the eyes twice a day. The only other thing I have seen like that is in pictures of Mareks disease of the skin in chickens, and turkeys do not get Mareks, at least commonly in the US, although some other countries have had some reports of it. If you have a state poultry college, I would email some pictures to see if they can help. Please let us know what you find out.

 

[Kleopatrickus 2-78]

Hi!!!

I have turkeys too and they look like the ones on your picture.
Im scared because I dont know what medicine to give them.
Im affraid to loose my turkeys. As a matter of fact, a few of my chickens are starting to develop the same traits as the turkeys.

 

[SandyBird]

Thank you so much for your help everyone!! After seeing your suggestions of Blackhead I did more research and I'm now positive that that's what they have. We had no idea that letting the turkeys free range with the chickens was dangerous
I quarantined them today and loaded up their food and water with cayenne pepper as it's the only remedy I could find. I'm afraid it might be too late for the white female but I'm hoping she will pull thru. Fingers crossed!!

 

[Kleopatrickus 2-78]

I do hope your birds get well and healthy again. I had to quarantine my turkeys too.
One of my hens developed a weird lump on her beak. I want to remove it, but I'm affraid I may create more damage and pain as it is. I do hope my turkeys get better, today we gave them diced jalapenos since I have no idea what a cayenne pepper looks like.
I will keep you updated on my birds' health. Leo

 

[SandyBird]

Thank you and I hope that your birds recover as well!!! One of the signs that led me to believe that ours have blackhead is their poop, it's yellow and liquid which is a tell tale sign of Blackhead. As for the cayenne pepper, you can find it in the seasoning isle at the grocery store. I bought the Badia brand for a dollar and change from Walmart. What I did was mix a bit of water in with their pellets then mixed in the cayenne so that it would stick to the pellets. I also added it to their water but it doesn't dissolve so it kindof just sinks to the bottom so I'm more so counting on the getting enough from their food. Good luck!!!

 

[Kleopatrickus 2-78]

Ohhhh I see which ones. These are even hotter than regular jalapeno peppers. LOL.
This is a spicy dry pepper. So I guess the hotter the pepper the better huh? LOL.
That makes sense, the parasite takes a bite of this pepper and it will definitely want to get out of the turkey's tummy. I will submit a picture of my turkeys just for you Ms. Sandy.

 

[Kleopatrickus 2-78]

Hi Ms. Sandy, I have an update for you. Sadly the little turkey girl did not make it, the bumps were too much for her. Fortunately, your idea of giving them pepper saved the remaining 3 turkeys. The first bird that began with the bumps is now safe and healthy. We kept giving them diced peppers, dry peppers from those Little Caesar's pizza packets, and it worked like a charm. I also used a drop of an ointment similar to Neosporin (contains Nitrofural) and applied it on the turkey's head and neck and it also helped remove the bumps. Best Regards, Leo

 

[Eggcessive]

I really doubt the turkey in the picture had blackhead, but it definitely looked like fowl pox. Sorry for your loss.