Sick Turkeys... already lost one, opinions please.

[MellowBird]

Hi,



I've never raised turkeys before only chickens. My husband brought home 6 commercial bronze/white ones from our feed store.



They are 3 months old, been sneezing since they were 2 weeks. I thought they would get over it. I give them probiotics and organic food. The one that died was the only female, I wasn't sure what was going on because I found her pushed up against the wall strangely.



Then when I noticed the open mouthed breathing at night too (when it wasn't hot anymore). I took a closer examination and after chasing them around I noticed a chest gurgle. I put them on Tylan 50, squirt in mouth twice a day 3 cc's. On day 2 of tylan, 4 seem better (still sneezing) but more active. 1 is separate bc it isn't walking well and has been pecked, its a bit wobbly.



I'm worried about my chickens.



I haven't seen any consistent diarrhea, just every-once in a while a greenish, loose foamy one. They eat a lot of grass.



Am I doing the right things?



Thanks for any opinions.

 

[jillscoop]

There is a disease called blackhead disease. Turkeys can get if they are around chickens. The chickens are immune but carry the disease in certain soil types in certain areas of the country... The best thing to do is call your local agri office and ask them if turkey's in your area can contract blackhead disease.

Keeping your turkeys separated from your chickens & moving the tractor/pen that turkeys are in will limit the exposure. I believe the incubation period of the these nasty protozoa is 90 days from the chickens droppings, so if every 80 days you move the pen the protozoa will not infect your turkeys. There are some antibiotics that you can use in the water to help prevent blackhead. but after they are already sick it may have damaged the liver to severly.

As far as the panting goes, they may just be hot, turkeys need moms more then chickens they don't understand basics like staying cool or drinking enough water, I re-show my turkeys the water every day several times a day and encourage them to drink by splashing it or pecking it with my hand, they get very excited like they are seeing it for the first time and push each other out of the way to take a drink even though it's been sitting there all along. We also crack open a watermelon in the summer afternoons to hydrate them. best wishes to you and your turkey's. Keep us updated.

 

[MellowBird]

Sneezing and chest gurgling is a symptom of blackhead?

 

[jillscoop]

The foamy poo & green poo and the way you found her "pushed up against the wall strangely" huddled? are symptoms of blackheads also the wobbling. Black head is an immune depressure that allows infections to take hold, so I'm thinking that the chest gurgling and sneezing is just a secondary infection not the primary problem since your chickens are not sick too. The tylan 50 you gave them should fix the respritory infection if thats all it was. The 3 illnesses that cause sneezing and gurgling and other breathing problems as a primary symptom are NewCastle and CRS Infectious Sinusitis, & Rhinotrcheitis virus, but these are all 3 contagious to chickens aswell, so if your chickens are well I'm hoping its not any of these. good luck to you

 

[MellowBird]

Yes, I figured that out after I researched your post. I'm going to try Metronidazole....I thought using my driveway blow torch thing in the coop and around the run would be enough. Then my husband tried to surprise me with a new coop/run while letting them all mingle together...for days now bc he under estimated how long it would take. Poor guy can't catch a break!

Thanks Jill!

 

[MellowBird]

I'll never do organic turkeys again...they belong in a hoop house in the middle of my field where the chickens don't go! I