Turkey Poults Sick (Update page 3)

[yesterDAYNE]

I have a week old turkey poult who I believe is blocked up. They aren't doing good. They've been crying a lot almost constantly for 2 days. I assumed it was because it was imprinted, and was just crying bc it missed me. I thought something might be wrong but I was afraid if I asked I'd just get told it was because it was imprinted. Now I realize that's not the reason, and I'm scared. I have a heat plate that heats up very warm, and I noticed last night it wouldn't sleep underneath it. I thought maybe there wasn't enough room, so I added a second heat plate. It still wouldn't sleep under it. I put them under it this morning before I left and they were under it when i came home.

I noticed it acting sluggish and yelling this morning. I thought maybe it wasn't eating enough, so I put food where it could get to it easily and it ate. I've seen it drink, the water has sav-a-chick probiotics and electrolytes. I just moved them onto wood shavings yesterday, but this chick has been yelling since it was on doggy pee pads. They have access to chick grit. After I got home from work, I checked on it again and it's just very lethargic. Screams whenever it's held or not, doesn't matter. I felt around on it's abdomen and noticed it felt hard, and it had the smallest spot of poop stuck to its vent hidden under it's down. I feel so stupid that I didn't check. I removed the stuck poop, but nothing else came.

I've soaked their belly in warm water, tried a warm water enema with a small syringe and nothing came out, dripped some sugar water, gave it a tiny drip of olive oil in its beak, massaged it's abdomen, and so far nothing. They are very lethargic. Please, is there anything else I can try and do? They are sleeping next to me with a heater on them at the moment. I don't want to stress them out too much and cause them to die via that, but I also don't want them to die because I waited too long to help.

If I need to take any pictures of the vent and abdomen let me know and I will. Thank you.

Edit; I just remembered, I believe this chick is one who ate a dead leaf outside about 3 or so days ago. They've had free access to grit ever since I took them outside however, so I assumed it wouldn't be an issue. Did they not eat enough grit maybe?

EDIT 2: I have been updating in the thread, current update is on page 2 and I need help knowing if I can give corid after giving nutridrench. Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Try to get the poult drinking a lot of water, and you can dip it’s beak into it. Mix some feed with water as well. If it will peck at some small chips of coconut oil that has been refrigerated, that can help. Unfortunately when some get pasty butt, it can be hard to clear up if they are already acting weak. What is the temperature of the place where you are keeping them?

 

[yesterDAYNE]

Try to get the poult drinking a lot of water, and you can dip it’s beak into it. Mix some feed with water as well. If it will peck at some small chips of coconut oil that has been refrigerated, that can help. Unfortunately when some get pasty butt, it can be hard to clear up if they are already acting weak. What is the temperature of the place where you are keeping them?

I just bought the coconut oil and put it in the freezer to cool. Are you sure it's okay to feed it? It just ate a bit this morning before it got too lethargic, I was afraid if I fed it more it might compact it more. I've been trying to make it drink, but when it drinks it acts almost like it's having a hard time swallowing and I'm a little afraid I'll drown it.

They have a rentacoop heat plate. I was always told with heat plates you didn't really need a thermometer, but I just went and grabbed one and stuck it under and it says about 83 degrees on the woodchip level underneath the plate. I've tried to set it to where it's tall enough that they can crawl under it, but still short enough to keep them warm. I have 2 more acting tired and crying occasionally with no pasty butt/nothing hard in their abdomens now and I'm worried. They won't stay under either heat plate I have (I put another in there at a higher level in case the other was too hot) and just stand to the side of the heat plates hunched up and yelling. They're still walking around though and eating and drinking, just look miserable. I used this heat plate for 2 years and it worked fine... I'm worried I've messed up now.

 

[yesterDAYNE]

We brought in a heat lamp and set it up instead. Its measuring about 95 at ground level. 2 are still lethargic. I don't know what I should do- I don't want to watch another one or two die. They have food and water at easy access now.

The other one is still alive. But barely. I don't think it's going to live. I just want to know what I did wrong so I can save the others. But I don't even know if it was constipated. For all I know it could have been born with issues. I just don't know and it's killing me because I don't want them to die. These were the first poults I hatched on my own and they mean a lot to me.

 

[yesterDAYNE]

This is how the sick babies are drinking. I moved all of them out of the big brooder and back to the plastic tub with the heat plate. I don't know whats going on. I don't want to watch anymore die.

 

[yesterDAYNE]

Two of them just suddenly started walking drunk out of nowhere. They just started wobbling and losing their footing. I don't know what's going on. Please help me.

 

[Feathyr]

ETA: Re-read the post; didn't see the part about the pee pads.
What feed do they access to? Did they have access to anything when they were outside? Grass?

First thing I would do is fast them - they don't need any more feed in their systems, just water. They sound severely dehydrated. I know it's important not to stress them, but I would suggest (gently) giving them small amounts of water with a syringe.

 

[yesterDAYNE]

ETA: Re-read the post; didn't see the part about the pee pads.
What feed do they access to? Did they have access to anything when they were outside? Grass?

First thing I would do is fast them - they don't need any more feed in their systems, just water. They sound severely dehydrated. I know it's important not to stress them, but I would suggest (gently) giving them small amounts of water with a syringe.

They are on 30% gamebird starter crumbles. They ate grass and poked at dead leaves, Thats all.

2 that were drunk are now having what looks like seizures and flipping over. I found blood in someones poop. I am panicking. They were fine yesterday. They are drinking on their own rn. I dont want to aspirate them.

 

[Feathyr]

Could be that the grass / leaves were too long for their digestive systems to handle and it's plugged them up.

ETA: Do you have a deeper dish to give them? Like a bowl you could fill with marbles to raise the water level? I used to use shallow drinking trays, then switched to tapered (Lixit, specifically) after I realized they were too shallow for my birds to dip their beaks in. They couldn't get a full beakful of water and had to work twice as hard.

 

[yesterDAYNE]

I switched to a deeper dish now. The others are all acting fine and normal. Running, jumping, peeping.

They had access to chick grit the whole time. I saw them eating it and made sure they ate it after they came in from outside. Is it the grit? Could the chick grit, even though it's tiny, still kill them?

The two rapidly declined. One is either dead or dying right now. It keeps kicking out and spitting things up. The only thing I can think of in common for these 2 is I let them eat the coconut oil and sugar water.


Edit; The other sick one is coming out and drinking still. It goes back and forth between drinking and the heat plate. I know it's only a matter of time before this happens to it too.