Turkey crisis--HELP!! WARNING: GRAPHIC PICS--Update

[jeaucamom]

You did a GREAT job sewing that up! I am so glad she is going to be okay!1

 

[Blisschick]

Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies :

I was wondering if turkeys have nasty spurs like roosters and if they can be cut back???? and what about their nails are they hard to clip..

Was the nails/spurs the cause of so much damage???

Turkeys have spurs, but they grow incredibly slow compared to rooster spurs. My guy is nearly two, and he still has nubbies. It's the toenails that do all the damage. They're very thick and strong, not to mention sharp. I got kicked on the back of my leg by the same turkey a couple of months ago, and still have a little pink scar about two inches long on the back of my leg. Think mini-dinosaur foot...that's pretty much what they have.

I've been told wire cutters will do the job, but I'm sure dog nail clippers would work better. You don't really have to worry about clipping them unless they're in mating season, which I think is during the winter months.

Greyfields -- it was definitely the tom. When they mount, it's not fast like a chicken, and they're kind of abusive with the feet. Those sharp nails will slice ribbons very easily. The second time he got her, he added to the previous wounds, so it looked sort of like a bite on one side. She never had any infection, but then I nearly drowned the poor thing in iodine solution and antibiotic ointment.​

 

[Moonwalker]

ANytime you stitch a deep wound or one that may have dead tissue, foreign, bodies, dirt (you get the picture!) you should ALWAYS leave a section of it open so it can drain. Otherwise, it can form an abcess by having the surface heal while the inside does not.Preferably, the open part should be on the lower "end" of the wound, but the darned animals are not always considerate enough to get the wounds in the perfect position for that! The best thing for wounds like that is to heal from the inside out, and flushing them out daily even with plain water will help keep them from getting infected. I am new to poultry, so am not really familair yet with what meds can be used for turkeys as opposed to chickens, but using some sort of ointment to keep it moist will help it heal from the inside out.

 

[ivan3]

I'm impressed (never check the sites when I'm under contract and I hate missing things like this!). Way to go! When you wrote about your turks being big trouble-making monkey birds you weren't kidding!

We tried using 2x2's soaked in a weak solution of betadine in an open wound (fox) on a GSL hen (like debriding and packing a decub on a human) but had no luck securing the dressing in place. She made it. Just kept up daily flushing.

Nothing like this!

Oh, our toms get their spurs abraded flat with large grit emery boards (I wrap `em up from behind and lift `em, Cass rounds off the spurs), not a pretty picture, but it works.

Take care!

 

[jab91864]

WOW !!! You did a great job !!

Julie

 

[dlhunicorn]

Oh, our toms get their spurs abraded flat with large grit emery boards (I wrap `em up from behind and lift `em, Cass rounds off the spurs), not a pretty picture, but it works.

..a dremel works great​

 

[ivan3]

..a dremel works great

That's what we thought. We used a Dremel (diamond cutting blade) on the roo's spurs a couple years back - far too dangerous and not easy to control (even by using just a sanding wheel to work off the tips). Some folks don't seem to have a problem using it.

The trouble with Dremels (in our experience) is, unlike drills/cutters that run off a compressor, the minimum speed is 3,500 RPM. We are keeping our eyes open for used air compressors (set up an air scribe - like a dental drill controller: 0 RPM and up). That would work for cleaning our fossils and provide a safe way to cut these spurs. That Dremel just jumps too much at the slowest speed.

An ancillary result of handling these toms is to remind them of their position in the flock hierarchy. They're very easy going and never direct so much as a challenge trill at either of us and this procedure is just some more of the regular contact that promotes good order in the turkey mind. Only takes about ten minutes per turk.

Last year, our Big (30+ Lb.) Slate tom, Boris, mated several times, over three days, with our little (8Lb) Royal Hen - she lost a lot of feathers and down, but was otherwise none the worse for wear (watching her strained breathing during mating was nerve wracking - but she jumped right back up and started giving out with that happy `weeting' `I got some' `song?'

P.S. kinda on topic: We are going to take our roo to our vet - one who removed the RP's tumor - to have his spurs twisted off. We can do it ourselves, but we want to throw her some business - economy not so hot at the moment and you can imagine what gets the shortest shrift in families budgets - sad all around.

Keep up the good work Diana!​

 

[dlhunicorn]

I have a "cheaper"version of the dremel ( different brand 1/10 the price) and it goes as slow or fast as I want ... I hadn't realized that this was different on the dremel??? It is also advisable to use the flexible hand-held attachment as it is easier to manipulate.

 

[greyfields]

Quote:
Ok! It fooled me. I've had to stitch up wounds on geese before that looked just like that. Usually a small puncture from one of the teeth will tear a long gash in the skin as they're struggling.

And I agree. I've always drenched bite wounds in 50/50 penecillin & water mixture.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Here is an example (phot) of a very basic turkey saddle you could make yourself (though I have seen some gorgeous ones with leather for them to get a hold on especially for mating)
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKSaddle.html