Put him on a diet?

[Lynda J]

awwww.... sorry to hear that... I am new to turkeys, and new to this forum, so I really have no advice for you.... seems like people do not respond much here though

 

[RogerTheChicken]

I'm new to turkeys too, not a lot of people have responded, do you think I should start a new thread about this in dieseases injuries and cures?

 

[WalnutHill]

Please do. And use the search feature while you are waiting for replies.

I've been raising turkeys commercially for more than 15 years and after starting with broad breasted bronze and broad breasted white, I started raising heritage birds about 8 years ago when someone gifted me with a couple of bourbon reds. I've now raised many hundreds of turkeys and maintain a breeder flock. The one thing consistent about broad breasted turkeys is that they fight nature to stay alive. If yours is indeed four years old, he's had a very good life.

If he is that ill he should see a vet. If there is no vet locally who will see him, be sure he drinks fresh clean water, offer him treats to encourage him to eat, and be sure he is in a comfortable place. Without a diagnosis it's hard to tell what is ailing him.

 

[ivan3]

Gilbert is not doing so well, he isn't eating much, he doesn't want to walk around, he has a green slimy poop, he still is very talkative and cocky, I don't want to loose him. Any replies will be helpful

Has to keep moving, he does. Keep plenty of clean, fresh bedding (loose straw and wood chips) where he hunkers down. These guys are prone to breast blisters/pressure sores.

Get a bag of Purina Game Bird Flight Conditioner. Fill a bowl with it and weigh filled bowl. After dark remove bowl from shed/run and weigh again. Difference in wt. will give you a baseline to start cutting back from (he ate 12oz. cut back to 11). Do it slowly. Weigh him once a week. As was mentioned, sprouting greens for him is good (we rotate out flats of oats, sprouting throughout winter for chooks, turks and cats.- use 6, 48" plant & aquarium fluorescents in 3 cheap shoplight fixtures to sprout/grow oats until ~5" in ht. before distrbution. Turks also love cut up grapes/peaches. Make sure he has grit available (adult turks 3/8"-5/8" diameter gravel).

Ranging BB's, just to keep them interested in "motating" is important. Preventing their being startled/excited so that they try to hop/leap/fly will prevent their "landing" falling over themselves with inevitable leg/hip "mortal" injuries (rarely come back from such)..

Wishing you all the best of luck with the big guys - they're, usually, the friendliest of the varieties and bred for doom and dinner (found this out the hard way).

When a rapid reply is not forthcoming, please consider using Advanced Search, after entering terms and defining parameters, click on SEARCH button at the bottom of the page. AS allows one to pick the brains of thousands of members who've been adding useful info to the Site's database for several years.

 

[Lynda J]

Thank you both so very much for your replies.... I think my "Rosie" is in the same situation as poor "Gilbert".... as a new turkey owner, this is so heartbreaking to have this happen so fast.... poor birds

I have had chickens in the past, but never have experienced such an affectionate "bird" in my life... I hate to lose her.

How can I tell how old she is?

And is what she picks all day in the pasture enough for her nutritionally? along with some fruits and veggies in the AM? Maybe I should take away her feed? although I only give her 1 cup per night when she goes to bed

 

[ChickenMack]

I hate to to be the "Debbie Downer" but the broad breasted varieties were not meant to live longer than it takes them to put on enough weight to become dinner. They are truely genetically modified birds. They were "made" to be able to convert the least amount of food to the greatest amount of weight in a short amount of time. Your birds have performed perfectly, but now, they are paying the piper, so to say, since they were not butchered at a young age. This is part of our agricultural history and this is a part of making "food birds" pets. Sorry to say. Now, I love my birds and I am heartbroken when I lose them, but poultry die. Some of the best words I got from a friend when a chick died and I was sad was "chickens die". Even if you raise heritage birds, they only live for seven years-that's if they don't get attacked by predators or contract a virus. At this point, make your birds comfortable, give them a peaceful end and be grateful that you are now this much more knowledgeable about turkeys.

 

[RogerTheChicken]

Afraid he won't make it through the weekend he won't move at all, he won't eat or drink either, I guess this will be the end of Gilbert

 

[R2elk]

I hate to to be the "Debbie Downer" but the broad breasted varieties were not meant to live longer than it takes them to put on enough weight to become dinner. They are truely genetically modified birds. They were "made" to be able to convert the least amount of food to the greatest amount of weight in a short amount of time. Your birds have performed perfectly, but now, they are paying the piper, so to say, since they were not butchered at a young age. This is part of our agricultural history and this is a part of making "food birds" pets. Sorry to say. Now, I love my birds and I am heartbroken when I lose them, but poultry die. Some of the best words I got from a friend when a chick died and I was sad was "chickens die". Even if you raise heritage birds, they only live for seven years-that's if they don't get attacked by predators or contract a virus. At this point, make your birds comfortable, give them a peaceful end and be grateful that you are now this much more knowledgeable about turkeys.

Actually heritage turkeys can live long past 7 years. My old Bourbon Red was about 12 years old and doing fine when some predator came in on a Thanksgiving night and ate half of him. He was by himself and would call in a Wild turkey hen every spring.

 

[RogerTheChicken]

It's a miracle, today Gilbert was back to normal, he has normal poop and is back to his old talkative self, I think God helped him

 

[WalnutHill]

I am so happy for you (and for Gilbert)!