New to turkeys Tom not eating please advise

[Attila the Hen]

Greetings:
I was given a midget white tom this week. He seemed to fall in love with me at first and all was well. Now he is lethargic, doesn't appear to be eating and putting his head under his wing. I am told he is about 9 months old and I got a young hen for him. She seems fine. She is looking for food etc.

Any suggestions on how to entice him to eat or what to look for in terms of illness? I do not see any yellow droppings and will continue looking.

I am particularly anxious because I have to go out of town and have someone come in to look after the animals. I would never normally get new animals and leave but circumstances dictated.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you so much.

 

[kuntrygirl]

So, he was eating when you got him right?

Poop looked good?

What was he eating at his previous owner's place?

Had he been de-wormed before you got him?

What are you feeding him now?

Could he have eaten any poison or anything over at your place?

What does his poop look like now? Is it firm?

When was the last time you saw him eat?

When are you going out of town? Will an experienced poultry keeper be checking on him and will they know what to look for and what to do if they suspect anything wrong?

You can try feeding him a mixture of yogurt, oatmeal and eggs.

Is he drinking?

Do you have meds on hand for your birds?

 

[Attila the Hen]

I have been totally stressed out about this poor turkey. I have taken him to someone who will care for him and knows about turkeys. I didn't feel I could ask the pet sitter to do all that would be needed.
I gave him ivermectin (?) and was able to get a little bit of water down him but he needs intensive care at this point.

When he arrived he was very chirper although he didn't seem to eat much. I have only had him 3-4 days and today I noticed he was quiet and not eating or drinking. When I felt him I realized he was very undernourished and I have never handled a turkey before. So I am sure he was not well when he arrived. When I took him to the woman who will care for him she agreed he was very thin. I hope he survives and is able to come back here. I am already attached to him.

I really appreciate your response and I will let you know the outcome.
thank you again.

 

[Attila the Hen]

I'm afraid the tom didn't survive. I'm not sure if the people cared for him sufficiently or could have saved him.
thanks again.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Awwwwwwwww. I'm so sorry to hear that.

 

[Attila the Hen]

Thank you. You will likely see me on here now I have turkeys and am totally ignorant. I got another tom yesterday from the same place the hen came from, so I didn't quarantine him.
He seems to be in love with me and is not interested in the hen. She, likewise, is more interested in me. They were hand raised, I'm told so that could account for it. Very charming but the poor guy is wearing himself out with all his strutting and humming.
The owner also told me to keep him inside as our temperatures went so low last night. I brought them both in and finally let them run around the house after the tom kept having fits in the pen. FINALLY, we all went to bed--in our respective coops/pens.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I hope that the new turkey does well. Keeping my fingers crossed.



You may want to read up on this thread if you are new to turkeys.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-turkeys-what-do-i-need-to-know#post_11309891

 

[jensen]

Sounds like all is well with the new one. Is it eating okay?

 

[Attila the Hen]

Yes he is eating and fine as far as I can tell although he seems more interested in strutting around and confronting the turkeys he sees reflected in the windows than eating.

The hen, on the other hand, somehow injured her foot and was bleeding badly. I got it to stop with flour after I washed it but she was clearly in pain. While I was at the vet for another animal the vet gave me pain meds and antibiotics for her. She seems a bit better after that but we'll see. I really don't know how she got injured and am concerned. There was no blood in the coop so it must have happened just before I discovered it.
Thanks for asking about the tom.