Turkey Ate Feed Sack String

[Candace Longan]

My son just came in and our tom apparently snatched a feed sack string and "gobbled" it up. Granted I know there is little to be done now that it's down the hatch. What's the likely hood of it causing major problems? I figure they probably eat all kinds of strange things we are oblivious to and we're never none the wiser. In some species of animals this would be a major concern... perhaps in turkeys, too. Just not something I've dealt with that I am aware of.

 

[Molpet]

If it's cotton or something that will decompose, it should go through ok
. unless.. someone one here had a chicken get a string get tangled around the tongue that was causing issues and the string had to be removed

 

[Noellereagan]

Recently, I had a tiny serama hen that got one I accidentally left sitting on top of her habitat that sits near my feed bin. It must have fallen into the pen. Anyway, the next am, her feet were all tangled and her head tied down to her feet tightly. Shame on me! I freed her feet and tried to pull it out of her mouth. It reminded me of a fish that swallowed a hook. I knew if I pulled, I’d kill her. I recruited some help and using a tiny scizzors, I cut the string off as close to the back of her throat as I could get without harming her in hopes she’d swallow and pass it if it didn’t dissolve. I fed her some wet foot that she loves to be sure she could eat. Which she reluctantly did.
I use purina feeds. I’m not sure if all manufacturers use the same feed bag material or not but they should all think about this possibility. Out of curiosity I took a cup of regular water and a dish of acetone nail polish remover and soaked feed bag strings in overnight for each. The next day, the one in the water was literally impossible to pull apart or break with your bare hands so it didn’t break down at all. The acetone was a little better. I was thinking this make mock their stomach acids a little better in comparison but it still had not broken down much if at all. Just seemed a little less tough if you will. Being my bird is a type A serama (literally the size of a small apple in the body) and factoring that she hadswallowed more than half of the 50# feed bag string, I thought for sure she’d die. He’ll, I lost adog (after reparative surgery) to eating a boot lace). Well, that was over two months ago. She’s started laying again (she was off lay and in molt on top of the string and just ending a way too long of a broody period - so she was in rather rough shape IMO) And she’s actuallytrying to go broody again that stinker. She got all her feathers back and my little 2019 show champ is again easy to win. She looks amazing and acts perfectly normal (for her that odd little duck). I see no signs of residual problems from the string two months later. For the first few weeks I cleaned her habitat daily looking for that damn string and never found it. I feel she’s out of the woods. But who knows? Did it pass? Or dissolve ? I’m not sure but I hope so. She’s obviously converting herfeed properly because she’s borderline chubby like serama hens can be and her new feathers look great. Could it be stuck and not affecting her? I suppose that’s possible too but less likely.
anyway, that said, I wouldn’t worry so much about a turkey in comparison. I do think someone needs to mention using a more accident friendly material for feed bag strings. I’m sure there’s a reason that they don’t use dissolvable material and can think of about ten reasons off the top of my head but there has to be a better way...