Lethargic Turkey Hen

[Rock Wyandotte]

Hi all,

this is my first winter with turkeys. I have 5 heritage Black Winged Bronze, 2 toms and 3 hens (I think). One hen has been lethargic, droopy eyed, and sleepy for the last few days. The other 4 are active and animated. I'm worried about her. They live in a large 8 x 12 ft. coop with about 20 chickens but it's well ventilated, I give them clean water each day and they congregate up on their own roost every night. On nice days they are let out and run around the yard - though I do live in Vermont so on 0 degree days I keep them in. Any suggestions as to what I can do for this hen? Thanks in advance.

 

[ColbyNTX]

8X12 is pretty small for 5 turkeys without the 20 chickens. She could be sick with a number of problems. Being housed with chickens it could be blackhead. Check with you county agent and see if blackhead has been reported in your area. If it has not, where did your chicken come from? Were they shipped from another part of the country where there might be a problem? Could be something else, either way I would start her on Tylan(won't help with blackhear though). You can let them free range even in 0 weather. Turkeys are very cold hardy and if they are cold they will find a place to get.

 

[Olive Hill]

I agree with Colby on the space issue. You're allowing less than 4 sq. ft per bird at that capacity. That's not even enough for a chicken, let alone a turkey. If that's all the space you can afford them inside, then they must have access to the outside every single day dawn to dusk.

As for the lethargic acting, that could be so many things. You haven't noticed any other symptoms? Have you palpated her crop to check for blockages and/or sour crop? If she's still having droppings are they abnormal? Have you offered any supportive care to her or is she still in the general population?

 

[Rock Wyandotte]

Thank you for your help. I've separated her into a large clean crate in our utility room. It's about 60 degrees in there. If that's too warm, I could put it in the garage. I did some more reading on the BYC site and have read about cayenne pepper. I'm giving her some in her feed. I did see a big yellow diareah poo a day or two ago that I'm guessing was hers.

There have been no reported cases of blackhead around here in many years. All my chickens have been hatched here in my incubator, or under my hens. I'm praying it's not blackhead and that I can get her cured soon. I knew I was pushing it for space but didn't realize I was that far off. I'm going to find a place in an empty barn up the road for them for the rest of the winter. We have too many predators here to let them out all the time. Unfortunately, I've come home to dead chickens and turkey's too often in the past year.

Thanks again. I feel very guilty about this happening under my care.

 

[ColbyNTX]

Get you a livestock guardian dog! We have about every kind of predator here in East Texas so I got a Great Pyreneese this summer and he is about 9 months old now and I don't worry about cyotes and such anymore.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Check her for mites, alot of times in the winter there isn't a dry place to dust bath and in an inclosed area they can be crawling with mites. They will suck a bird dry, the bird gets slowly weaker and weaker as time goes on. We have Cochins and the roo's don't dust bath alot so they are prone to them.

Check under the wings (like in the arm pit area) around the vent and the tail feathers for the mites.

Steve

 

[Rock Wyandotte]

Steve, thank you so much! I checked her and sure enough - MITES! That poor hen was just waiting for me to figure it out. Then I went out and dusted the other turkeys and as many chickens as I could catch.
Today, I'm moving the turkeys down the road to a kind neighbors empty barn. They'll have their own big space away from the chickens with tons of fresh air.

BTW, Steve, I've read many of your posts, learned a lot from them and enjoyed them as well. Thanks again.

Richard

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Glad to help, I guessing she probably doesn't weight much right now either? Some vitamins in the water will help her recover and if she will eat hard boiled eggs there is alot of protien in them.

Steve