Little turkey not doing well...and questions...please help...

[IggiMom]

Yesterday I helped two baby turkeys out of their eggs. One I can see why he had problems. My gosh. He is a monster baby turkey, REALLY big, poor thing didn't have room to peck.

He is doing fine, once he unfolded, that is. It took a while.

The other is actually a little small in relation to the others, and isn't doing too well.

I do not believe it was my helping them out that is his problem. In fact, I am sure that had they been left in they would have died. The membrane had dried out to the point that they were superglued in there.

He is still staggering about, not eating and drinking, and peeping piteously.

So today I got some polyvisol and I have been dripping it into his little loud beak, and also a little water.

I am SO afraid I am going to drown him. I am a nurse and would have NO problem passing an NG tube down a puppy's throat, but a chick? And what would I use? Does anyone have any hints how to safely put water and vitamins in the mouth of a turkey poult?

AND--is there anything else I could do? I do not think there is anything basically wrong with him. I think he was just too long squished up in his egg, and used up his yolk sack and he is weak and needs neurishment. Anyway, anything else I can do? Any hints appreciated. Thanks.

Catherine

 

[Grampa with chickens]

I have nothing useful to add other than it sounds like your doing all you can.

Good luck!

 

[walkswithdog]

A drop or two at a time of Karo light syrup can give them the energy they need and using unflavored pedialyte or other electrolyte mix instead of water can also be a very big help. Karo is readily digested.

Also available is the Agave Syrup you find in health food stores, it has a lower glycemic index, is easy on their systems digestively and causes less of a crash.

Plain old sugar water is a last resort. It's more common but also more commonly can cause problems.

 

[gabrielle1976]

Good luck , I have no experance with turkies but I had a chick that cried and cried and I ended up carring her around with me for two days minus when I was sleeping and giveing her first tiny drops from a q tip of water with sugar and then I just put ground up chick feed in a cap and added warm water and gave her almost indvidual pieaces of the softend food till she was strong enough to eat it from the cap after 2 days she was much stronger and I put her back with the other chicks but feed them the mash and made shure she had some for another week or so .
I dont know if that would help in this case but I hope whatever you find to do works for you.

 

[IggiMom]

Quote:
Ah! I do have karo syrup. Thanks, I did not think of that. I don't have agave, and although I could probably find it, not at night, and also I live out of town.

Thank you.

Catherine