sick turkey?

[Neffer tweety]

I have eight turkeys and am concerned for one of them. She has presented with difficulty walking and standing. When she tries to stand she seems to be off balance and fall/step backward. She doesn't go far and ends up on the ground with one leg or another sticking out. She is off from usual turkey behavior. She is eating from my sons hand. I do not believe she is injured. Any help or ideas would be most appreciated. If she is sick I am concerned for the rest of my flock. The turkey pen is next to the chicken pen. If I see any other symptoms I will post them. Feel free to ask questions. Thank you

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It is good to know the age of the turkey. Many turkeys and chickens suffer from leg bone deformities that can appear as they grow. Could she be dehydrated, since that can cause imbalance and problems walking? Give some poultry vitamins in the water. There are many articles on "leg bone deformities in poultry" if you Google that term. Varus Valgus deformity is a common one. Most deformities have no treatment, but it can be helpful to identify the problem, in case it is treatable, such as vitamin or mineral deficiency, slipped tendon which is rarely treatable, or splayed leg (very treatable.)

 

[Neffer tweety]

Thank you! We purchased our turkeys at the end of March, so they are 11/12 or so weeks old. The turkeys are bigger than the chickens. (we have road island red, white leg horn sized chickens. Her head and neck seem a little pale in color compared to the other turkeys. Her droppings are jello-y like. There seems to be some yellow droppings in the pen. Not sure that is her though. She is separated from the rest of the flock. Her droppings since being separated, like I said, are jelly-oy. Normal in color except some possible yellowish green in it. I googled leg bone deformities in poultry and I don't believe that is her problem. Though I could be wrong.

 

[Eggcessive]

Bright yellow droppings can be a sign of blackhead disease in turkeys. It is rarely a problem in chickens, but can be very bad for turkeys that are kept with chickens. They get it through the cecal or heterakis worm larvae in chicken droppings. Can you separate her in a crate for a day, and take some droppings to a vet for analysis? The treatment is giving a wormer, SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer 1/4 ml per pound of weight orally for 3-5 days. At the same time metronidazole (Fish Zole, Flagyl) is given 250 mg orally daily for 5 days. Here is where you can buy Fish Zole online, and a couple of threads about blackhead:
https://www.google.com/webhp?source...q=fish+zole&tbm=shop&spd=12257988075911640806
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/74/histamonosis-histomoniasis-blackhead/
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/poultry/histomoniasis/overview_of_histomoniasis_in_poultry.html

 

[Eggcessive]

How much does the turkey weigh? Metronidazole may be given 15-30 mg per pound of weight twice a day. The tablets are 250 mg, and can be split into two halves I believe. I'm just guessing about the blackhead because of the yellow poops, but I would collect some and get them tested before treating. Heat and dehydration can make birds lame and weak, so make sure that she is drinking well and add some electrolytes to the water.