Pining turkey

[DoraG]

Hi, I am new here, this seems like a great site for info. I am new to keeping turkeys and trying to find information on the internet about them is quite tricky.

Anyway, I hope that you can help. I picked up 2 turkey stags from a poultry auction, my friend fell in love with them and took one off to her smallholding with the intention that we would get some females for both our boys. Well since the other one left my boy has stopped eating, he follows me everywhere and I am quite concerned about the weight he is losing. I have a couple of females to pick up in a couple of days for our boys (both are Bourbon Reds). Although he has stopped eating he is drinking water and his poo has turned runny, probably since he has not eaten solids.

I would like to ask, is it possible that he could be pining for his friend? What could have stopped him eating? What would be a fab treat for him to get him eating again?

Also, are there any caresheets or informative websites about keeping turkeys? I am new to this and just want what is best for him. He is a fab guy with loads of personality, as you can tell he is a pet and not reared for food

I would really appreciate your help on any of this.

Thanks.

 

[DoraG]

I should add that I don't know how old he is since the auction did not give that information but he seems full grown.
We feed him on turkey pellets bought from our local farm supplies. He free ranges and sleeps in a large shed at night, he was offered a perch but seems to prefer sitting on a shelf and he is on straw.
He has different ways of eating his pellets, I have tried a few different ways thinking that it may help, he has the option to have his pellets from a bucket, from a long thin poultry feeder or scratch for them on the ground and he is not interested in any of it. He has not been around any poisonous plants that I am aware of.
He has been like this now since around Thursday / Friday.
He lives with 3 pygmy goats and gets on well with them, they don't bother him and he doesn't seem unhappy about being around them.

 

[DoraG]

An update, he is eating well on salad greens, bananas and stuff from the kitchen but not his turkey pellets so it looks like he may be a fussy eater.

 

[WalnutHill]

Turkeys are very social animals, and I am sure he misses his friend, even though once a hen appeared that friend would have become a rival.

Check the date code on the feed you bought. If it is more than a couple of months old, or has been stored in a hot location, the oils in the feed may have become rancid. If it has been wet, it may be moldy. Many birds will reject spoiled or rancid feed, which is good as it can be harmful or fatal. When you smell the feed, it should smell fresh and wholesome.

A few days without feed won't hurt him.

Any idea what type of turkey he is? Photos would help.

 

[DoraG]

Thanks for your reply, I never figured that his food may be off, I shall get him some different food and see if we have more luck with that. Here is a picture of him, I bought him as a Bourbon Red.
I have sniffed his food and since this is the first bag I have bought then I am not sure what it is suppose to smell like, doesn't smell that appetising though!
I shall get him a lady or 2, some new food and carry on giving him lots of fuss then! I

 

[WalnutHill]

He's a fine looking Bourbon Red, and with lovely grass like that I am not surprised he's not eating food from a bag.

 

[DoraG]

When he is not puffed up you can feel his breast bone now. He doesnt live there all the time, athough he will do soon when I have got the fencing up, too many foxes and badgers really, but we are getting alpacas in the next week or so and they keep foxes away. Just hope he can get there. I am going to take him up there every day to graze, he does look better for it today and his poop is more solid than it was.