New turkey poult has closed eye

[boxermom]

One of my BR poults has a closed eye. It has been closed since I put it in the brooder. I am unsure if it was closed when I bought it since I didn't get to choose them. Today, the socket looked swollen, but not red and the eye looked like it had opened a little. This poult stays under the light. Will walk around if it is forced to. Every other poult is very active, although they seem be very mean. Not just to that poult, but to each other. What do I do?
I have lytes in the water.

 

[miss_jayne]

try not to humanize the actions of the poults. they aren't necessarily being 'mean', they are being birds. they rough house, jump, dodge each other, bite etc. it's part of being an animal. they are learning.

if the eye is swelled get it separated from the others asap. if it is hanging under the lights, it's cold. could be several different things, and without a 100% diagnosis from a avian vet, there is no telling.

if it were ME, i would just put it down so as not to have that weakness passed down. you have to choose what works for YOU. there are meds etc that can be used, but that doesn't guarantee that the turkey wont shed disease later. (it can become a carrier of disease)

hope you find what works for you.

 

[boxermom]

miss_jayne, do you think it is a disease then instead of an injury?

 

[miss_jayne]

Quote:
well, without seeing it, there is no telling. i wouldn't want to wager unless i saw. give a good sniff over the eye and nostrils. a smell will indicate disease or illness.

an avian vet is the only true way to tell.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

Could possibly be an eye cold. The eye would be watery, and both the eye and nose could have some discharge. It can be cleared up with Terramycin. Half a teaspoon per gallon of water. Regardless of whether it IS a disease or not, at least having some antibiotics would prevent infection.

 

[boxermom]

The eye is not watery at all, nor is it red. I was watching the poult tonight. It was eating and drinking and walking around.

 

[miss_jayne]

Quote:
antibiotics will not necessarily prevent infection. it can hide it. also, antibiotics reduce the body's resistance to infection, allowing the bird to be susceptible to OTHER issues. Terramycin is not a fix all.

treating something when one is not absolutely sure of what the problem may be is not a good option. giving antibiotics for 'everything' is poor husbandry.

again, you'll have to do what works for you. if it were mine i'd cull. i don't want birds that have a weakness for any disease or disorder in my flock.

 

[swedesmith]

Last year, one of my turkey hens had an eyelid that would not open. I tried salts of borate, chamomile, warm compresses....nothing worked. The turkey grew up healthy but had a slightly crossed beak. Perhaps this facial deformity had something to do with the eye, perhaps not. She dressed out at 16 pounds and tasted just as good as the two eyed turkeys. This year I have another one eyed turkey (from another hatchery). I am leaving it alone!

 

[boxermom]

Swedesmith,
That is exactly what mine is like. I didn't cull her as suggested because she will be butchered anyway. I did have to seperate her from the other poults however. She has become a "flock" w/ 2 BR chicks that are the same age as she is. They were also getting picked on as they were 2 weeks younger than my other chicks. All seems to be going well. They have full run of the coop and run, but can get into their brooder if they need to escape and relax. I find them in there as often as I find them running around. "Garfield" (named after her stuffed animal friend) isn't as big as the other poults, but seems to be doing well. I didn't have anything to lose. She's been an experiment almost from the beginning.