Sick turkey poult

[Chelsea1455]

Help! I have a 3 week old turkey poult who just isn't acting like a turkey anymore. He's no longer running around and playing with his friends. He sort of just walks around really slowly and he looks like he's depressed. He's definitely not as active as he used to be, and it seemed to have happened overnight. One day he was running around strutting for his little poult and chick friends and the next day he seemed like he just really really needs a nap. He will walk slowly around the brooder and then stop and shut his eyes for a little while and then start walking again, kind of like he's trying to force himself to stay awake. He doesn't seem to be eating or drinking on his own but he will take water from me when I try to give it to him with a medicine dropper. On top of his lethargy he also seems to throw up whenever I pick him up.. Any ideas guys? Any advice would be great

 

[junkprospector]

i had a chicken poult that was doing the same thing last week. I got some Terramycin (antibiotic) and she seems to be doing WAY better. Before being treated, she would sleep anywhere she could and not budge at all - i even opened a door which has a feeder built in - she was sleeping in the feeder tray... anyway - when the door opened, she didn't even move, kept sleeping away. She would fall asleep when my daughter held her... very un-chickenlike behavior. After getting the terramycin treatment for 2 days she is acting much more lively. I'm certainly no expert - just letting you know my experience.

 

[Chelsea1455]

Well I just tried to give him some more water and some egg yolk with a medicine dropper and he threw up again. He's still being lethargic, trying to lay down and take a nap but the chicks won't let him. And his poop seems to be a foamy yellowish white color. Now one of the chicks he's with poop looks the same, but she's acting perfectly normal and healthy. Does this just happen for no reason or did they eat something thats bad for them?

 

[junkprospector]

This doesn't sound like "they ate somethig bad" - i've had chickens for 5 years and i've fed them ALOT of stuff but never seen them eat something and then cause the lethargy our poult was having - which led me down the antibiotic path.

 

[Chelsea1455]

I gave him some electrolytes and vitamins last night before I went to bed and put some cayenne pepper in their water (which I read on another thread cures blackhead, just in case) and he seems to be doing so much better this morning. Playing with the chicks, and eating and drinking on his own

 

[Big Dan]

I have seen a lot of turkeys improve with cayenne pepper. I keep mine on a every other week schedule and keep acv in the water all the time. I've seen cayenne take a tom that my buddy thought was dead and he was up and running around two days later like nothing happened and no more runny poop. I am no poultry expert by any means but I've noticed a better outcome when treated with those more natural cures than with meds.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Just saw this thread and was checking in to see how the poult is doing.

 

[Chelsea1455]

He's doing great now it's like he was never sick to begin with! Definitely going to have to keep cayenne pepper on hand all the time now

 

[Big Dan]

I swear by the stuff. Glad to hear he's doing better!

 

[Littlebratfarm]

Can you add cayenne to the food?