Poults Going Blind?

[silenthawk2x3]

It seems that both of my blue slate (blue) poults, one 4 days old, the other 7 days old, have gone blind? They obviously weren't when they hatched, they found food and water after some coaxing and had to be visually enticed to eat. Now they have no reaction to nearly poking them in the eyes, and wander into the waterer and listen to the chicks I am brooding them with to find the food. The other two eggs that were under their turkey hen mom both died late in incubation (1 - 2 days to hatch) to what I took an educated guess to be a bacterial infection. Is this the same thing? Is it contagious? What should I do?

 

[R2elk]

It seems that both of my blue slate (blue) poults, one 4 days old, the other 7 days old, have gone blind? They obviously weren't when they hatched, they found food and water after some coaxing and had to be visually enticed to eat. Now they have no reaction to nearly poking them in the eyes, and wander into the waterer and listen to the chicks I am brooding them with to find the food. The other two eggs that were under their turkey hen mom both died late in incubation (1 - 2 days to hatch) to what I took an educated guess to be a bacterial infection. Is this the same thing? Is it contagious? What should I do?

Are the poults Blue Slate or are they Self Blues (aka Lavender)? Do they have big eyes or are they small compared to other young turkeys? Small eye syndrome is associated with the slate color gene (D). Self Blues are homozygous for the slate color gene (DD) and are more prone to small eye syndrome although it can occur in any turkey with the slate (D) color gene. A side effect of small eye syndrome can be blindness. Of course if your tom and hen were very closely related (brother and sister) it does tend to bring out the worst in their genetics.

 

[silenthawk2x3]

Are the poults Blue Slate or are they Self Blues (aka Lavender)? Do they have big eyes or are they small compared to other young turkeys? Small eye syndrome is associated with the slate color gene (D). Self Blues are homozygous for the slate color gene (DD) and are more prone to small eye syndrome although it can occur in any turkey with the slate (D) color gene. A side effect of small eye syndrome can be blindness. Of course if your tom and hen were very closely related (brother and sister) it does tend to bring out the worst in their genetics.

Self blue. As far as I know they aren't closely related, the Tom is a slate and their mother must be one of the 2 self blues that we have. I will post a pic as soon as possible.

 

[silenthawk2x3]

Are the poults Blue Slate or are they Self Blues (aka Lavender)? Do they have big eyes or are they small compared to other young turkeys? Small eye syndrome is associated with the slate color gene (D). Self Blues are homozygous for the slate color gene (DD) and are more prone to small eye syndrome although it can occur in any turkey with the slate (D) color gene. A side effect of small eye syndrome can be blindness. Of course if your tom and hen were very closely related (brother and sister) it does tend to bring out the worst in their genetics.

Self blue. As far as I know they aren't closely related, the Tom is a slate and their mother must be one of the 2 self blues that we have. I will post a pic as soon as possible.