Turkey hen can't walk

[Bensing53]

I bought 2 baby turkeys last spring thinking one was a male, but got two females..heritage bronze..now one can't walk..I have them in with my chickens and have been told that she may be the "eating" kind and has become too large to support her own weight. What to do???? I will let the other one loose to freerange with my peacocks because I don't want the same thing to happen to her. No..never got them to eat but as pets and am heartbroken..is there anything I can do to help her recover,,besides starving her to death?

 

[sourland]

You can cut her rations - 'starving her to death' is a bit of an over reaction. At this point in the game it may be too late, but reduced feed and increased activity is her only hope. Much like the Cornish X meat birds longevity is not common with these birds.

 

[Bensing53]

Thank you..will put her sister out of the chicken coop to run with my peacocks..had two heritage turkeys years ago but had them out to range and they lived over 9 years.. Will care for my hen feed her less ..have her in a safe place and have paper towels as diapers. She does drink and eat..only a handful of kibble twice a day..Have learned alot.thank you again.

 

[sourland]

Good luck. I know someone who kept a meat breed tom alive for 5 years. They actually set up a small air conditioner in an anteroom to their garage, and he spent the summers in AC.

 

[azturkeymoma]

I have a BBW that I got last April as a couple day old baby, and I just posted that she is loosing all of her feathers on her belly. I am thinking after reading this that it maybe from her laying down too much due to her size. I work all day so I am not there to see what she does during the weekdays. On the weekends she is up and walking around making noise and wanting grapes, and yells when she sees me to come over to her. I talk to her, and I even give her hugs, and she even rests her face on mine when I do. From day one she has followed me around and she always wants to be near me. She can be ornery at times and try to bite my nails and my toes (they are polished and I think she thinks they are food lol) but I love her no matter what. I am going to back her off on her food and get her out more and see if I can keep her from gaining any more weight, and maybe even loose some weight. I just love her and I want to keep her around for a long time and to live a happy healthy life.