Sick Turkey Chick, Lethargic Watery Stools

[Tifferly]

I’ve been searching these forums since last evening and can’t seem to find something similar to what our Tiny Turk is experiencing.

This is our first turkey chick, and unfortunately a loner. Started with 6 eggs, 4 to lockdown, 3 didn’t make it. So Tiny Turk is on its own.

Turk (now 1 week old), was eating and drinking and peeping like crazy up until yesterday afternoon. It seemed to happen within an hour or 2. Bam! Lethargic, droopy head, not eating or drinking, watery stools with flecks of green (now clear/white due to lack of food).

I’ve started Turk on Corid water, and have been crop-feeding this mixture since last night. I also tried a bit of medicated turkey chick starter slurry to get some calories in there. No real change so far. Maybe slightly less lethargic, but really no change.

Chick is alone in an isolated brooder in the house, with red heat lamp (temp steady between 95-100), with plenty of room to move away from the direct heat.

Maybe antibiotics instead of Corid? Doesn’t seem to be coccidiosis as originally thought. Any advice would be amazing!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How's it doing? Poults do need company to encourage them to eat. Did you actively see it eating? In general poults need to learn where and when to eat. I will tap my finger in the food a few times a day until I see they get it.

The temperature could be a bit too warm. I shoot for 90 the first week. Could be it is over heating, they sometimes don't know to move away, and if your brooder isn't big enough it may not be able to. Chicks hatch with instincts, poults hatch ready to learn, so often they don't make good decisions initially without being shown.

 

[Tifferly]

Definitely doing a lot better since yesterday. I’m guessing it likely was overheating. Pushed some electrolytes and food slurry in via tiny crop tube, and it’s now eating and drinking and cooing away. He/she was eating and drinking on its own totally fine before this ordeal, so only thing I could think was too hot in the brooder.

I may give it a few days to monitor to be sure it’s not an actual illness before picking up a buddy for him/her. I have leads on a few people with week-old poults, so no shortage of friends.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

All great news.

 

[kittycat23]

Definitely doing a lot better since yesterday. I’m guessing it likely was overheating. Pushed some electrolytes and food slurry in via tiny crop tube, and it’s now eating and drinking and cooing away. He/she was eating and drinking on its own totally fine before this ordeal, so only thing I could think was too hot in the brooder.

I may give it a few days to monitor to be sure it’s not an actual illness before picking up a buddy for him/her. I have leads on a few people with week-old poults, so no shortage of friends.

I am having the same thing with my hen. Did everything clear up on its own by turning down the heat?