Sick hen...advice please

[Crazy Chicken Fever]

First of all I want to say I have a HECK of a time keeping baby turkeys alive. It blows my mind looking out my front door in the morning and seeing about 40 wild turkeys in my front yard. I pamper my baby turkeys and they still die. I cannot figure out how the wild ones make it.

Anyway...onto the question. I have an adult hen with a swolen face. I have medicated her water and it is not getting any better. Not sure what to do at this point. I cannot find a vet around here that knows about poultry. Any advice would be helpful.

She has had this for about 2 weeks. She is eating and drinking, but not herself. The rest of the flock is fine, she is the only one sick.

I just started with this summer so this is a learning process. Someone said turkeys cannot be raised around chickens.....is this true?

Thanks in advance for everyones help.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

What are you medicating with? and what dosage? The swollen face is a sign of chronic respiratory disease. There is a whole list of respiratory issues they can get, symtpoms from swelling, watery, foamy eyes. The best med you can get is Tylan Powder.

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&pf_id=16364

Some feed stores carry it but you may have to order it.

Steve in NC

 

[Crazy Chicken Fever]

Thanks so much Steve. I will order it today. Any idea on how long I should medicate her?

 

[Crazy Chicken Fever]

I ordered the tylan powder....wow is it expensive! If it does the trick, it's worth it.

Steve, do you have any advice for me on raising the baby turkeys? The 4 I hatched died at about 2 months old. It seems like they are always getting sick. Maybe my hen having this bug did them in? However, they were never around her.

Whats weird is none of the other adult turkeys are sick. Do Royal Palms have a hard time fighting off illness? I would hate to keep loosing hatchlings this spring. I was told when I bought my Royal Palms that baby turkeys are hard to keep alive.

You have been a blessing! Thanks so much

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Yes it is expensive but it works, just off the top of my head the doasge is 2 tablespoons per 5 gallons of water I think. It's 3 to 5 days treatment

Actually Royal Palms do tend to be more fragile than the other varieties we raise for some reason. Here is how we do turkey poults from hatch to going outside with the rest of the flock.

For the first brooder we use pine shavings, medicated 28% protien game bird starter, clean fresh water, a 250 watt red inferred heat lamp. For the brooder temp we go by the birds - if they are huddled under the lamp it's to cold, on the other edges to hot. We try to hatch some chicks or keets about a week before the poults, they will keep the poults stirred up and show them how to eat and drink. Keep a close eye on the poults the first week-ish to make sure they are eating and drinking. They can and will "starve out".

After about 2 weeks we move them to a larger brooder, still on pine shavings, same feed. At about 3 weeks to a month we take out the pine shavings and use clean, fresh sand. The poults are still inside at this point.

Depending on the outside temp their next move is to the brooder barn - the barn is unheated but we still use the heat lamp or later in the season just a 100 watt regular light bulb. same feed, sand on the floor. I will add after the first brooder all the others have roosts in them, we try to get them used to roosting as soon as they can. The brooders in the barn are 5 foot square, side about 3 feet high with wire covers. At about 2 months we start mixing the 28% with 20% chick start n grow, when the leave the barn they are totaly on 20% start n grow

Once again depending on the outside temp and when they don't need any extra heat they go outside to the "maturnity pen". That would be anywhere from 3 months to 4+. Early in the season they have to be older to take the outside. That pen is covered with a small house and an outside roost. They stay there until they are 5 to 6 months old and go out with the flocks.

With turkeys you want to breed for resistance among other traits, any poult we have that doesn't grow as quick, or just doesn't do as well for any reason gets a black band. That marks them as culls no matter how they grow out. Once you get a system that works for you for raising them there is nothing to it. It's rare we loose any growing them out. Keeping the brooder clean and not crowded is a huge factor in raising them. Alot of people raise them on wire but I think the sand is more natural for them and works good. It helps there is a sand pit right down the road from us so we get it by the dump truck load.

Hope that helps some?

Steve

 

[Crazy Chicken Fever]

Thanks so much for the details. I love the turkeys, they are so much fun to raise but keeping the young alive has been a challange. I will put your process to work this spring. How many toms to hens in your flock?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

3 to 4 hens per tom .

Steve