lethargic turkey, doesn't want to eat

[magdasalsa]

Hello all, this is my first post.

I have three three month old turkeys and was just given 9 new chicks a week ago. They appear to have brought some respiratory illness into the flock. Four have died and I'm medicating my older chickens with Trimetoprin and Sulfametoxasol (I'm in Mexico, these are the names in Spanish).

My question is about one of my turkeys (a white broad breast), who has been generally suffering because the others pluck her feathers. I keep her separate, but she has surface injuries and even self-plucks. Today she is markedly more sad, lethargic, and didn't want to eat when she woke up. She did drink a bit of water.

I don't hear any rattling in her chest or see any discharge.

Any thoughts?

 

[Eggcessive]

It is unfortunate to bring in birds that have spread a respiratory disease into your flock. Common diseases are infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (MG, CRD,) coryza, and ILT. MG in chickens can make turkeys much more sick, with labored breathing, swelling of the face or eyes, sinus infections, and lethargy. Tylosin (Tylan in the US,) tiamulin (Denagard,) enrofloxacin (Baytril) are some of the common medicines used to treat MG. Coryza, which causes similar symptoms, but smells very bad, is usually treated with sulfa drugs, such as the one you are using. Secondary infections that affect the air sacs can be common in turkeys.

With a disease in your flock, you must close your flock to new birds, since these birds will be lifelong carriers until the last one is gone. After several weeks with no birds, you may then be able to get new birds. I will only buy baby chicks from a hatchery in the future, since it is very common to buy birds who are carriers. Sorry that you are dealing with this. Make sure all chickens and turkeys are drinking plenty of fluids, and eating. Mixing water or medicated water into feed may get more into them. Disease symptoms may come back again whenever they are stressed, such as during molting.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is an article about some of the respiratory diseases in flocks:
https://extension.psu.edu/respiratory-diseases-of-small-poultry-flocks

 

[magdasalsa]

Thank you, this is very helpful.

I'm wondering about the first illness listed, which is caused by spores in mold. It is extremely humid here, and the sick chicks started dying after a particularly strong storm (after living here for one week).

The turkey is not taking nicely to being forcefed by dropper, I'll take her resistance as a good sign.

The sickness is not at all smelly, I've cleaned some clear mucus from the beaks and noses of the older chickens. I'm wondering if they've been misprescribed.

I do hope we've seen the extent of mortality from this, it's so sad to see them drop out.

 

[magdasalsa]

One more question, I'm thinking I will wait to medicate the turkey because I don't see or h ear any signs of respiratory illness. Do you agree with my thinking?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would hold off on medicating the turkey, but if you see any type of respiratory symptoms, do not hesitate. The sulfa antibiotic you have been prescribed can treat some bacterial infections, but MG or mycoplasma has no cell wall, so many antibiotics such as sulfa drugs, will not treat MG. Your antibiotic is similar to bactrim a human antibiotic. I would try to get one of the others listed above if possible. If the disease is viral, then no antibiotics will treat it. They can however treat secondary bacterial infections besises mycoplasma.

Fungal infection or aspergillosis, can be common with wet or moldy conditions. There is no treatment except for preventing further exposure to mold. Some use oxine in a vaporizer to combat mold.