Turkey health question

[cover357]

We are raising 12 BBW's for our freezer this fall. I have a question for anyone that has raised them before.
Lately I notice on the toms only there is a like water sack. about the size of an orange- just below the breast area but not between the legs. there is no feathers on it--just pink skin. the only ones that have this is the toms....
You call feel it.. its just fluid-- nothing in it at all.
Does anyone know what this is ? or has anyone had the same thing on their turkeys?? would love to know something about it.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

The toms have an air sac that they fill with air and they use that to make drumming sound when they strut. If you pick up a tom in full strut and pat the breast you can really feel it. There shouldn't be a fluid in it unless you are feeling the crop.

Steve in NC

 

[cover357]

No the crop is Higher.. this sack is just between the legs BUT before the legs, Under the breast you know maybe there is no fluid.. maybe it just air.
But in the morning when I do chores...... this sack is smaller but as the day goes on the sack gets bigger,,,,

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

can you get a pic?

Steve

 

[favoritekitty]

Will he gobble back at you when you gobble to him? Wouldnt you be able to see it go down in size if he talks back to you?

Try it

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I was just thinking about it, could it be breast blisters? I was trying to find a pic but haven't located one. From the way you describe it...maybe?

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/40/breast-blister

Steve in NC

 

[cover357]

Ok it took me a bit but I figured out now to do a picture..
this is only on the Toms. They will be 3 months old on the 14th of July.


I hope this picture is good. this was taken in the afternoon.
Some at almost night are larger. Morning they are not as large. but they giggle and sway when they walk. It don't seem to bother them.... we just are not sure what the heck this is.

I checked out what the one person said about blisters on the web page but the area don't seem to set with this bulge.. maybe I'm just reading it wrong.
R&D in New York

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I have never seen that before. The location doesn't fit. Since they all have it it can't be a tumor. You are raising them in the pen that at pic was taken in? If the are laying down on the boards that could rub the feathers off. My first thought would be a fat deposit but that doesn't fit at all if it's changing in size.

Steve in NC

 

[cover357]

Yes they are all raised in a pen, My husband recearched alot about turkeys before we ordered them. We built a new small barn for them, the outdoor pen with roof is actually what they call a sun room 10x16. it is off the ground, the floor is boards cut to 1 in thick and are placed 1 in apart. the sun room is really large with water and food outside. the inside is larger than the outside area with food and water inside. Everything was new boards. We built it our selves from fresh rough cut lumber. We understood they could not have any contact with any chickens or we could loose them to the black head disease. This is the first of ever trying to raise them. I know the pic looks like they are really close but they are hams when it comes to pictures.. LOL.

 

[cover357]

here are some better pictures, I did some croping to get it larger.