please help.

[logansterling]

We have three female turkeys and they have always been very sweet and approachable.

As of the last week their beards have began to change color towards the base. They are turning black to dark brown. Along with this change their attitudes have changed. My sweet girls have now become aggressive. I can not even walk into our enclosure with out a rake to hold them off.

They were dusted for mites about 3 weeks ago. I did not see any on them but we try and keep them and the building dusted just to make sure.

I was wondering if anyone knew what might be going on. Here is a pic so you can see their beards...

I have made them an toy out of a plastic bottle that when they peck or attack it food falls out... just in case their aggression is because they are bored, which I can not imagine because their yard is huge...

I have also checked for eggs in case they had a nest they were trying to protect and nothing.

Please any suggestion would be helpful, I enjoy spending time with them and I am worried something might be wrong...

 

[longranger]

Probably avian pox. Looks and sounds like the less serious dry form. They are probably cranky from that.

Both pictures looks like jakes to me. How old are they?

 

[logansterling]

they were rescued in november of last year as polts, I am not familiar with turkeys so I guessed they were females because well, mostly because I was told they were, but two of them have started puffing up and strutting and fighting...

I am reading up on avian pox, but we have the 3 turkeys and several chickens all together, what can I do to help keep this infection down and also from re occuring in the future?

 

[chickenannie]

It could be avian pox.

It also could be that you are dusting too much and they are getting some kind of "chemical burn" that is hurting them and making them aggressive. The reason I say that is because the location of the spots on them almost looks like it might be where they are rubbing against a feeder or wall or something. I think fowl pox is usually more scattered around.

What are you dusting with , and how are you dusting?

 

[logansterling]

sevin dust and about every 6 weeks or so... like I said we have never seen mites on them but would like to be careful. I hold them and then my have someone else light dust the sevin dust on their backs and wings. I then spinkle it on the bedding inside the night house.

with our chickens we hold them upside down, but the turkeys are from a factory farm and they are too heavy for their legs due to breeding so I do not want to hold them by their legs upside down for fear I could hurt them.

I am careful to avoid their faces and legs and anywhere that they do not have feathers.

I guess I could quit dusting and see what happens... it is getting to fall and I could probably wait a little longer between dusts because of the cold weather.

 

[MandyH]

That's fowl pox alright. Not much you can do except let it run its course. It is caused from mosquitos and once they ahve it they will not have it again. Females will strut and fight too at times. I have a female that blows up and acts all big any time the males aproach her because she doesn't want them breeding her. So far it has worked, they leave her alone.

 

[ivan3]

logansterling wrote: I am not familiar with turkeys so I guessed they were females because well, mostly because I was told they were, but two of them have started puffing up and strutting and fighting...

Could you post a pic of all three? I'd separate the two that are doing the most sparring. That does look like pox and there is no reason for their beaking open each other's sores. Get a bottle of betadine and daub on sores with q-tips.
Don't let them push you around (spread your arms out, hiss at them and give them a shove, they'll catch on).

Some pox info: http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/poultry-health/fowl-pox.html​

 

[logansterling]

thanks guys!!! I hope their fowl mod goes away, I miss just sitting in there with them and loving on them.

Here is a pic of all three of them playing with their toy I made them yesterday. It did tire them out some by the end of the day, but they were still in a bad mood.

I will work hard today to get a better shot of all three of their faces.

 

[logansterling]

o.k. here is the one who has been doing all the strutting and attacking of the other birds (the one who attacks me is different) The blue coloration is new and she does also go a very deep red. My others do not have any blue coloration to them...

And here are some of all three of them.

I did push back on the one who is always pushing me now, and although she didnt like it she did eventually leave me alone.

 

[chickenannie]

The one looks like a male tom turkey.