New Turkey owner... Please Help !!!

[Lynda J]

so, I have no options really? she will just die?


If I call her, she will get up and walk to me... and she does walk around and "pick" at the grass and stuff.... just that darn "panting"

I left the Tom in an old enclosure that I don't use anymore to keep her away from him... he is screaming non stop... she does not seem to care.

Great... so now I have one wild and crazy Tom... and a very sad girl that I can't help...

So much for falling in love with Turkeys as pets...

 

[ChickenMack]

Keep falling in love with turkeys and keeping them as pets, they really are worth your time and affection. I went through a similar situation but with a tom. Start getting to know your tom as your hen either recovers or passes, I kept a tom with no hens and we really bonded and I was heartbroken when he pased away, but it was worth having him. He was also a Royal Palm, they are very nice turkeys and beautiful. They were actually developed in Florida as a show bird, which explains why they are a smaller variety than most and more docile. I am sorry to hear about your hen. Maybe she will pull through this time but being a bbb, you will have to work very hard to keep her weight down to protect her heart and joints. Most heritaye birds can live to about seven hears while broad breasted varieties don't make it much farther past maturation. Also, your tom can hear the hen in distress,, that may also be keying him up. I keep my sick birds in a large dog crate with lots of fresh bedding with food and water right under their heads so they don't have to move to get to it. This makes it easier to care for and clean up after them. Best thoughts are with you.

 

[Lynda J]

thank you

She scared me to death last night... when I got home from work, she was not in her usual "spot"... I started calling her name, and she answered and came walking up to me, and then followed me to the barn... She would not eat last night, as she usually does, but then this morning her bowl was empty? but not sure if it was her? or a rat perhaps? but anyway, this AM she seemed in much better spirits, and was calling me before I could even get to her stall but she still ignored her "apple"... but was picking at the grass? so I am more hopeful...

I have the Tom in the old coop still... will let him loose monday? (my day off) and see how it goes....

Can anyone tell me if I should stop feeding her "mixed flock" crumbles? and only allow her free range pasture? with maybe fruits and veggies? will she get enough nutrition? and maybe slow down her weight gain a little?

Also, I checked her underside.... all is still fully feathered, and there are no apparent sores.

I really do LOVE her..... she is just like having another dog

 

[MamaBird072316]

Aw my heart goes out to you. I can feel the love in your posts. I am the same way. The panting is a heat stress thing I believe. Try not to keep her in an enclosed space. Well I realize now that this is about 9 months ago. So now I am wondering what your current status is. I have a bbb male and at only 2 months he was panting in 75 deg weather. He would sit down a lot. Mostly sit around actually. Once the fall came he moved around much more and stopped panting. This is why I believe it is heat related. They have all this insulation on their huge bodies and are unable to cool down like other birds.

So how is everything going? My make bbb is prob near 30 pounds now and 7 months old. He gets around but wobbles. I love him to death. But he's having trouble and fighting with my Royal palm Tom. Sigh. Anyway let me know!

 

[teria]

We had two cornish cross chickens last spring and summer. They are also bred as meat birds just as the broad breasted turkeys are. They go through much the same process when they mature, too. We had one that couldn't walk much while the other was still doing okay. Once they both were 12 weeks old they spent most of the time laying near the food and water and just panting, even when it was cool and comfortable out. It was as though they just couldn't keep themselves cool due to all the meat they were metabolizing. Their poop was very watery towards the end, too. We didn't know anything about meat birds, and had thought they were just a regular laying chicken, so, when they started panting a lot and not walking I researched what it was about that breed that made them both act that way. That's when I found out about meat birds and that they shouldn't have been kept that long. That they are supposed to be butchered before 12 weeks, often 6 to 8 weeks. Your turkey is probably at that point, too. It's so hard to watch them struggle, and I can relate to you wanting to find a way to keep her.

I don't honestly know if you will be able to, they are bred to metabolize so quickly and then be butchered, so, you will be working against nature, but, who knows, maybe it's doable. I guess if you are successful you will be the expert on here for others that may want to try.

I hope it works out for you.

 

[MamaBird072316]

Thanks for your info and kind words!