Turkey sliced open while breeding?

[bheila]

I have a broad breasted bronze hen that my royal palm tom has taken a liking to. I couldn't figure out why she was just sitting by his pasture the other day so I figured that I would let him out to let them visit for a while. So needless to say the instant I did that he started to breed her. The next day I noticed that my hen hadn't come out of the coop, she was just sitting in the corner. I finally realized that she had wounds on boths sides under her wings. It's like the skin was just sliced by my toms claws. On the right side, its open about the size of a dollar on the left side its about the size of a salad plate. I can't believe this happened. Has this ever happened to anyone else? I would expect this to happen with maybe the weight of another meat turkey on her but not my lightweight royal palm. I just feel terrible.

 

[dlhunicorn]

it happens with turkeys same as roosters... you might want to separate her until it heals and clean the wounds by flushing with sterile saline and/or hibiclens and then put on some triple antibiotic cream.

 

[bheila]

Yes, I have done exactly what you've suggested. Today she seems to be doing better. She's up and about eating and picking through some hay I gave her to lay on. I am wondering if we will be able to still eat her though. I don't really care that she won't have her skin intact, I'm just wondering about dirt and bacteria. I suppose if she doesn't get infected she'll be okay, right? Her cuts just look so severe because her skin is so heavy.

 

[ruth]

I would clean out the wounds with Betadine, put in as many stitches as needed to close the wounds, spray with Furall and give a couple of days worth of Penicillin shots. Have done so thus far with a few chickens and some ducks. They are all doing great. DH thought the duck, which had it's whole belly area open, as well as two places on it's neck was "unrecoverable" - today just a few weeks later, I don't know which duck it was. Thus far I've not taken any stitches out of anything - they seem to rot or dissolve or go away on their own. I did learn, from the first one I stitched up to use a double string of thread because the single thread, done as individual stitches, kept popping a day or so later and I would have to sew them up again. Now I don't bother doing the individual tie-type stitches - I just sew like I was sewing a seam. Works like a charm.

 

[hinkjc]

We had this happen to a broad breasted turkey hen here several years ago. It was our wild eastern tom that tore her up. He basically ripped flaps off of both sides of her and they just hung down..They were big, like a softball size flaps. All we did was flush it clean and press it back in place and sprayed the whole area with bluekote. Would you believe it healed up by itself with no further treatment. She was scarred, but turned out just fine.

Keep an eye on your girl to make sure flies don't go after her..that would be my primary concern this time of year.

Jody

 

[yellowdragon]

My mom just found a hen like this. I'm sorry for your turkey, but glad I found this advice quick. thanks

 

[ruth]

The Furall is in a spray can and sprays on yellow and says it is an antibacterial and for keeping flys off. I also haven't seen anyone pecking at the yellow sprayed area on any chicken/duck either so maybe it disquises it enough.

I find if you try stitching you'll be amazed at how much skin you can pull back together. What appears as a big missing flap is usually just an incision where the skin then separates to the "size of a salad plate" but is still there and can be pulled back together.

 

[bheila]

She's doing well this afternoon, eating and drinking water. She even wants to go back with all of the other birds. Pacing back and forth trying to get out of the kennel I put her in the keep her separated. Her wounds seem to be doing well. I have been making sure they are dry and the flies aren't bothering her. So far so good. It just looked so much worse than it actually was. Although it does look horrible.