Sick poult???at a loss here

[spbrown0411]

Hi yall,I have a bourbon red poult that I purchased from a breeder a couple days ago.i was told it is a month old.however,we have another one that is a month old and they are no where near similar in size.i asked a friend whom raises turkeys,what she thought about the age and size difference.he looks to be 2 weeks.anyway,I got him home,put him under the heat lamp with fresh food,water,and bedding.he is inside by the way.i noticed the next day he hadn't touched his feed nor his water.so the worrying began.i have googled everything I can think of.i have tried oatmeal mash,clover,raw egg yolk,scrambled egg yolk,and yogurt.nothing worked...except the clover.that sparked his interest pretty quickly.he actually ate some feed today mixed with a little clover and seems to be gaining some strength.but now,water is my problem.he won't drink at all.i have to give him water (with probiotics and electrolytes) via dropper.he seems thin and lethargic.he was fine when I picked him up from the breeder.as soon as I got him home,something seemed off.anybody have any ideas?I'm new to turkeys.ive raised plenty of chicks.but I'm fresh to the turkey world.thanks for reading!

 

[sfgwife]

Had the poult still been able to get under a heat light? Have you tried usin one to see if it will use it? You only have one all alonely? Might be he needs friends. I would also call the breeder and ask.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Sometimes they don't absorb all the nutrients in the shell. They take a little longer to become active and thrive. Keep up the pumping of vitamins and electrolytes into its system.

 

[spbrown0411]

I bought him to go with my other turkey.I was told he was the same age but I'm pretty sure he isnt.I was also told he didn't need a heat lamp anymore.he didn't have one on him when I got him.we decided to put him in the brooder box with the heat lamp on one end for him to get warm.he has the other end to cool off if he needs to.maybe of I bought 2 chicks to put in with him?I really hope he is just taking some time to get going.he seems more alert this morning and is eating better.but still hasn't drank(that I've seen anyway).thanks for getting back to me yall

 

[sarcasm]

At anything over a few days old he should know how to drink, but turkeys are odd sometimes. If he has perked up significantly he may be drinking when you're not looking.

Just a few random thoughts and things to try:
Are you absolutely sure he knows where to drink from? Dip his beak in the water like you would a new hatch a few times.
Maybe he doesn't like the taste? Try water without the vitamins and electrolytes (again with the beak-dipping to let him taste the difference).
Since he's eating, maybe give him some appealing food that's high in water content? A piece of cucumber or even tomato or watermelon. If that works, make a small dish out of the food and fill it with water so he has to accidentally ingest some, or put small pieces (or seeds) in the waterer temporarily so he has to fish them out.

 

[spbrown0411]

I have dipped it's beak several times with and without the electrolytes and probiotics.i never had this issue with chicks but I have read turkeys are much more finicky I guess you would say.im figuring out why now lol so far,the only thing that really catches his eye is clover.he doesn't move much throughout the day either.just kinda lays in the corner.i just picked some cucumbers last night so I'll try to give him a piece.hopefullynit will help!thank you

 

[sarcasm]

Also instead of getting chicks to put in with your poult right away, you can just put a small mirror in with him temporarily. That seems to keep them from getting lonely. They never do seem to figure out mirrors: my tom thinks there's another turkey living in the mirror in my garage, so he sneaks in behind me to have chest-bumping contests with his own reflection a couple times per month.

I hope your poult gets better!

 

[spbrown0411]

Thank you!I did a no no and let him outside for a few minutes to check out my older turkey.it's 86 outside and sunny so I thought a couple minutes wouldn't hurt.he took off across the yard to see her.so I'm going to get 2 more poults or chicks to put in with him.maybe he's just lonely?I have a mirror put in there for him but he never took interest.he doesn't have any poo issues,isn't sneezing or anything respiratory wise,and seems to be getting more energy.I'm on the fence about trying to put others in with him but we have a 2nd brooder box just about ready.just in case something changes health wise.thank yall for the help!

 

[spbrown0411]

Update*
I purchased 3 jersey giant chicks roughly the same size as the poult.within an hour,the poult has perked up,ate 10 times the amount I've seen him eat,and he drank for the first time that I've seen!again,I thank everybody for the help!yall are awesome!