Turkey Talk for 2014

[Sydney Acres]

Ok my turkeys are multiplying. Early this spring I ordered 5 bourbon reds from a local store. After a few weeks they told me they were not coming so I was on the search again. I ended up with 1 BBW and 2 mutt heritage. I was only really after 2 but 3 will work. Yesterday the store called me "Guess what your order came in" and now I have 8 turkeys.What am I going to do with 8 turkeys in a subdivision?

Have you picked them up yet? If the store initially told you that they weren't coming in and you bought something else instead, then you are not obligated to buy the BRs, especially if you don't have space for them. The feed store should have no problems selling them. Or if you want you can raise them up until they are 1-2 months old and then sell them for a good price if there's too many.

 

[insanity]

I have picked them up. Its a small town feed store and I "know" them. The shipment issues weren't their fault. I always have room at the inn, I'm just not sure what I'll do with them. I was only getting them for the passive vaccination of marecks that keeping turkeys offer. I suppose I could process them if they are still here this fall.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I am in need of some serious help. I raised my first turkey ever a Bruad Breasted Bronze hen for thanksgiving last year. Well that turkey was the best turkey I could of had for a first bird. Very tame and I could even pick her up and hold her like a chicken. This year I decided to raise 5 royal plam turkeys for FFA and so I can show them at the fairs and festivals in my state. My FFA advisor found me some royal palm poults and we went and bought them from a local backyard breeder. I had set up a brooder (in a livestock trailer) using everything I learned a turkey needs from my previous bird. Within the 2nd week I lost a royal palm poult. (It look like it had deformities an I thought it might pass away so I made sure it was conforatble till it's time of passing) Then I had to go on a short vacation and I made arrangements for some of my fellow FFA members to care for my birds. They took care of them good except they put in a "prank" bronze poult in with my poults that was 1 to 2 weeks older than my 2 week old poults. That thing beat the snot out of my poor royal palm poults and when I got back I was like "WHAT THE?!?" So now I have 4 injured poults and one healthy bronze. I removed the bronzes after trying to get it to be nice but It just wouldn't and now I'm back with my 4 royal palm poults but now they are all beat up. Now their injuries that the bronze did to my royal palms are only on the face around the eyes and nose. The royal palms body and legs could not look better. Their injuries are scabing over witch is a good sign but one poult is not doing so well. It looks like swelling everywhere where there is a cut from the bronze. I don't know how to get the swelling to go down or if it's a infection or not. They have ACV in the water and are feed turkey poult starter. Along with some outside time when they eat grass an bugs. They are 4 and 1/2 weeks old today. Plus I'm having a hard time handling these birds becuase there is four of them and its hard to keep track of witch one I've been handling. Any help or advice is appreciated. I will post pictuers of my poult later so y'all can see them. Thankyou.

Oh dear, I would not be happy with my fellow FFA members. That was a serious mistake. Not only could the older poult have seriously injured your birds, it could have brought disease into your flock. That goes against every biosecurity principle out there. I would definitely report this to your FFA advisor.

Head and waddles and snoods always swell up terribly after turkeys fight. It typically takes a few days to a week for the swelling to go down. If the swelling is infected, or if there are injuries in other areas that cannot be seen because they are internal, then that is more serious. You need to keep them comfortable and eating during the healing time, and reduce any stress as much as possible. You may have to hand feed the one that's not doing well. You can try to give it some scrambled eggs with some of the turkey grower mixed in, or numerous other treats. My turkeys loved spicy rice with hot peppers when they were babies, so they can eat a lot of things. You may have to try different things to get the sick one to eat.

To be able to tell them apart, you can put leg bands on them. You can get ones that are commercially made, or you can make your own by using a different color zip tie on the leg of each bird. If you do that, it is VERY important to leave the tie loose enough for a little growth, but not so loose that it can get caught on things or slip down the leg and injure the toes. And you need to make sure that you check them every single week, no exception, and change them when they're no longer loose. Don't let the bands get even a little snug on the shank -- they need to stay loose or they can cut off circulation to the foot.

 

[TattooedMama]

I need a bit of help.

So I have a turkey, she is newer, and she is sneezing. I had only heard her a few times and she seems otherwise fine. Last night I went to check on my other birds who were outside for the first time and the girl in question was on a perch with some clear snot(?) hanging from her nose. I picked up some Tylan 50 today but as I'm doing more research I am getting a bit more concerned. I am going to try to get her out of her cage and catch her to see if it has an odor. Any advice on what to look fro for those nasty respiratory infections? I don't know if I should cull her now and just treat the rest of my flock. I, like most of you, have put a decent amount of money into the rest of my birds. I'm not so concerned with saving one BBW that I lose all my Narris and all my Orpingtons.

ETA: The first sneeze was weeks ago now so it isn't something that could strike and kill her suddenly, she does not appear to have any fluid running from eyes and her pen-mate shows no signs. It also can be a bit dusty here and its been 90+ the past month.

 

[chicken pickin]

I need a bit of help.

So I have a turkey, she is newer, and she is sneezing. I had only heard her a few times and she seems otherwise fine. Last night I went to check on my other birds who were outside for the first time and the girl in question was on a perch with some clear snot(?) hanging from her nose. I picked up some Tylan 50 today but as I'm doing more research I am getting a bit more concerned. I am going to try to get her out of her cage and catch her to see if it has an odor. Any advice on what to look fro for those nasty respiratory infections? I don't know if I should cull her now and just treat the rest of my flock. I, like most of you, have put a decent amount of money into the rest of my birds. I'm not so concerned with saving one BBW that I lose all my Narris and all my Orpingtons.

ETA: The first sneeze was weeks ago now so it isn't something that could strike and kill her suddenly, she does not appear to have any fluid running from eyes and her pen-mate shows no signs. It also can be a bit dusty here and its been 90+ the past month.

If you put her in quarantine you might be lucky and not have the rest of your flock infected. ALWAYS QUARANTINE. Quarantine. Quarantine. Quarantine.

Honestly (my opinion) If you feel she is indeed sick I would either
A) contact her previous owner and ask that they take her back with a full refund or
B) Cull her so she doesn't potentially infect your existing flock.

Meds do nothing but clear up current symptoms, it doesn't remove the disease. They can still be carries and shed the disease and pass it on later even if not showing symptoms.

She may have nothing serious but why risk it.

If she is in with your other birds, I would remove her immediately from the flock and do either A or B.

Then watch the rest of your flock for symptoms and keep your fingers crossed nothing was spread.

I would also suggest having your flock tested later just to ease your mind. NPIP State testing doesnt specifically test for those diseases but they will if you request it and pay the additional fee.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

 

[TattooedMama]

So I was able to catch her, much to her displeasure. She was eating when I went outside. She seems to have gained a good deal of weight so she is eating well. Also with this heat, if she wasn't drinking she would be dead from that alone. She has no discharge at all from her eyes and there is no swelling on her face/sinuses. There is only minimal drainage from her nose, just appearing slightly wet. Her breathing was labored but it is 95 degrees out right now. I couldn't really detect any odor from smelling her nose; I did wipe the fluid on a paper towel and it seemed to smell slightly foul but I really had to smell like 15 times before I admitted there may be a scent there, it wasn't very strong or like "road kill" which I have seen some threads describe the mucus as with the worse infections. I am unsure what to do at this point. Still reading up on stuff online but any advice from those with experience would be helpful and appreciated.

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: Only during the heat of the summer it does. You can call your vet office and ask the technical reasons. Just trying to share some helpful info with you.

 

[TattooedMama]

If you put her in quarantine you might be lucky and not have the rest of your flock infected. ALWAYS QUARANTINE. Quarantine. Quarantine. Quarantine.

Honestly (my opinion) If you feel she is indeed sick I would either
A) contact her previous owner and ask that they take her back with a full refund or
B) Cull her so she doesn't potentially infect your existing flock.

Meds do nothing but clear up current symptoms, it doesn't remove the disease. They can still be carries and shed the disease and pass it on later even if not showing symptoms.

She may have nothing serious but why risk it.

If she is in with your other birds, I would remove her immediately from the flock and do either A or B.

Then watch the rest of your flock for symptoms and keep your fingers crossed nothing was spread.

I would also suggest having your flock tested later just to ease your mind. NPIP State testing doesnt specifically test for those diseases but they will if you request it and pay the additional fee.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

I treated all my birds with Tylan 50 and separated the two BBWs that were in that pen together. I treated them as well, for whatever that is worth. All of my chickens seem 150% healthy with no much as a wheeze in their breathing, my Narris do make a slight nsal sound when they breathe but I'm not sure if this may be normal as I am new to Turkeys. Everyone has clear eyes, clear noses, is active, eating/drinking, normal poop etc.

I contacted the feed store I purchased them at-one I frequent regularly- and the girl on the phone basically said they will take them back for free but no refund as all birds are final sale. She offered me medicine but I explained that would only clear up symptoms, depending on WTH they have, and still be carriers. She called the owner and called me back to say I could bring them back for a refund and it sounded like they also intended to give me medicine to treat my other birds for free (I hope).

I was intending on contacting the local state labs Monday to see about what it would cost to have them necropsied (we were going to cull both BBWs) just for piece of mind. I have 10 Narri eggs in the bator growing strong and set to hatch on the 23rd. I intend to sell eggs and chicks from my turkeys. I don't know if I should still try to get one necropsied to see what it is I'm dealing with in case my other birds were infected, or just suck it up and cull the Narris I have to be safe and not chance anything with the babies set to hatch and potentially lose them all.

 

[redneck farmer]

Oh dear, I would not be happy with my fellow FFA members.  That was a serious mistake.  Not only could the older poult have seriously injured your birds, it could have brought disease into your flock.  That goes against every biosecurity principle out there.   I would definitely report this to your FFA advisor.

Head and waddles and snoods always swell up terribly after turkeys fight.  It typically takes a few days to a week for the swelling to go down.  If the swelling is infected, or if there are injuries in other areas that cannot be seen because they are internal, then that is more serious.  You need to keep them comfortable and eating during the healing time, and reduce any stress as much as possible.  You may have to hand feed the one that's not doing well.  You can try to give it some scrambled eggs with some of the turkey grower mixed in, or numerous other treats.  My turkeys loved spicy rice with hot peppers when they were babies, so they can eat a lot of things.  You may have to try different things to get the sick one to eat.

To be able to tell them apart, you can put leg bands on them.  You can get ones that are commercially made, or you can make your own by using a different color zip tie on the leg of each bird.  If you do that, it is VERY important to leave the tie loose enough for a little growth, but not so loose that it can get caught on things or slip down the leg and injure the toes.  And you need to make sure that you check them every single week, no exception, and change them when they're no longer loose.  Don't let the bands get even a little snug on the shank -- they need to stay loose or they can cut off circulation to the foot.

Thanks. We went and poored the footer today for their coop( 12' by 12') so that's plenty of room and that should make them happy an relive some stress. I will remove ACV and let them eat more treats. Thanks a million

 

[TattooedMama]

So I did more research (Thank you BYC and those that post awesome threads for the rest of us!!) and found out I can get the necropsy done for free for both BBWs at a lab here through UC Davis

PLUS the closest lab is within 40 minutes so I hope they will let me drive the birds there versus mailing them. Now knowing it won't cost an arm and a leg, we have no intention to return the birds to the feed store and will send them both for necropsy. I hope to sell eggs and babies and it would be ridiculously irresponsible to just let this slide and not test the sick birds. They are quarantined for now until we can call the lab Monday.

Thanks @chicken pickin for your advice.