Slimy Mouth After Free Range

[brightpennies]

Hi, I'm hoping someone on here can help me out. I'm raising a pair of turkeys for the first time, and they seem to be a lot more fragile than chickens.

I keep my turkeys in a run but let them out for supervised free range, usually only about half an hour in the evening. My lady turkey, who tends to me a little more adventurous with what she eats, has been coming back in with a slimy mouth the last few days. She seems to have trouble closing her beak, and tries to alternately swallow or spit out this mucusy slime without much luck. Today I held her down and rinsed her mouth a little, and it seemed to help some. I want to keep letting her out to range because it makes her so happy, but I don't like to see her choking on whatever this is!

To clarify: she does not seem to be sick. After she is in the pen overnight, she no longer has an issue. Any idea what's going on here?

 

[SilkieNation]

Hi, I'm hoping someone on here can help me out. I'm raising a pair of turkeys for the first time, and they seem to be a lot more fragile than chickens.

I keep my turkeys in a run but let them out for supervised free range, usually only about half an hour in the evening. My lady turkey, who tends to me a little more adventurous with what she eats, has been coming back in with a slimy mouth the last few days. She seems to have trouble closing her beak, and tries to alternately swallow or spit out this mucusy slime without much luck. Today I held her down and rinsed her mouth a little, and it seemed to help some. I want to keep letting her out to range because it makes her so happy, but I don't like to see her choking on whatever this is!

To clarify: she does not seem to be sick. After she is in the pen overnight, she no longer has an issue. Any idea what's going on here?

Slugs?

 

[shortgrass]

Maybe toads? My hens get a toad once in a while and end up wiping beaks for about an hour every time.... Odd for sure..

 

[brightpennies]

Interesting, we do have toads around. I wouldn't think slugs would be so much trouble, but maybe if they were big enough...? I was worried it might be from eating milkweed or something bad for her, but if the snack itself is slimy that would make more sense. Thanks!

 

[shortgrass]

It could be a weed, I suppose... But if it was a yucky slimy, she probably wouldn't be eating it... I can't really think of any other weeds (at least, in MY area) that would cause slimy mouth... Maybe nettles or euphorbia of some kind... Milkweed is always a possibility, but its so bitter they don't normally eat it...

Strange indeed..

 

[brightpennies]

I do have a lot of nettles in the area. I've been keeping a closer eye in her and this hasn't happened since. No idea. Thanks for the input!