Turkey unable to walk? Niacin defiency? Please help.

[Wolf-Kim]

Okay, so a fellow bird fancier that I know has an adult turkey hen that seems to have lost the ability to walk. It first became apparent about last week. Two days before my week long stay out of town, so I gave the bird a dose of Tylan 50(careful to wash hands and shoes before coming home to my flock) on both days, honestly expecting to come home and hear that the bird had passed.

Over the phone I find that the bird is still living. Placed in a wire cage with food and water. I'm home now and got a good look at the turkey. It is an adult unimproved. She is alert and even tried to evade me when I went to examine her. Fecal matter isn't overly runny, didn't even slip through the wire floor. She has an appetite, they gave her a whole half a watermelon and she ate every bit but the outer layer. She has all the laying pellet/chick starter and water she wants.

It doesn't seem to be a disease, she is very alert with clear eyes and an appetite. She doesn't seem to be overly light for her size either so not much weightloss. She just won't use either leg, her toes are even curled.


Any ideas? If we can't solve the problem, hubby will be asked to cull it. All of us would hate for a bird that is fully alert and aware to be confined to a box so she is always within reach of her food and water.

I suggested picking up some of the vitamin powder from TSC tomorrow, because I've heard of niacin deficiencies in ducks and geese and vitamins wouldn't hurt. I've not administered anymore antibiotics.

It has me stumped.

 

[jadasmith99]

pls explain what you mean by "lost the ability to walk". i'm almost certain i won't know what to do about it but understanding the problem may help.

last week, my mallard hen lost her ability to walk...she was alert, bright, hungry, otherwise healthy...just couldn't walk. she could drag herself around.....as it turns out she has a nasty case of bumble foot and is now in therapy so to speak to help her recover.

so, i'm sure one of the really experienced members could offer help if you could more clearly describe the condition of the bird.

i sure hope you find help for her.

 

[ivan3]

Ask the owner if this was sudden loss of ability to ambulate or did it develop slowly over the course of a week? How old is the hen? Did they notice any unusual coordination problems prior to loss? Specific variety of turk?

Yes, you can try using Polyvisol Enfamil (no iron) 4 drops a day for two weeks and taper off (usually one wk. adjust as per wt. 10Lb. 20Lb.?).

Have someone pick her up and see if legs extend/move or remain folded against body. Check feet while she's up and see if she tries to grasp fingers or can't move toes. Check for unusual swelling in ankles.

Like you, I can't see culling her if she otherwise appears healthy. Just need more specifics.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I picked her up and her legs would extend only slightly, but her toes wouldn't uncurl on their own. I didn't try to force them open, just picked her up to see if she would try to "catch" herself if I went to put her down. She didn't.

I picked her up and then slowly set her down on the ground and she tried to "catch" herself using her head and wings. She seems perfectly fine, just can't move her legs/feet.

She is about a year and a half old. She was seen walking around the yard, free ranging just fine earlier that week. It seemed like she was doing her usual thing Monday-Tuesday and then all of a sudden she was found on the floor of the barn near her nest unable to walk.

She roosts in the barn rafters about 10 feet high and has a soft dirt floor she lands on. I've seen her come and go from the barn with no issue. She was broody in her nest before this all happened apparently. She has no obvious injuries or open wounds that would point to a predator attack. There are free ranging chickens, so I think a predator would go after a chicken before a turkey. Even if a predator went after her over the chickens, it would have finished her off since she couldn't get away.

She can flap her wings and uses them to steady her on her keel. I just hate that a seemingly perfect healthy turkey all of a sudden can't walk.

Could it be that she somehow injured herself during flight? I would have thought if a bird injured it's spine thus losing use of it's legs and feet, it would have lost use of her wings as well.

Her feet are pink and doesn't seem a case of bumblefoot. Her hocks are a little swollen, but no more than to be expected after sitting on them for a week.

-Kim

 

[ivan3]

Thanks for checking.

You mentioned she was `unimproved' does this mean something like Standard Bronze? Or is she BB?

Do you know what she was being fed? Since they don't spend a great deal of time out eating while brooding (ours never leave for more than fifteen minutes at a time) and if the feed was `inadequate' it might well be diet related, try the multivitamins and higher protein feed (eggs/mealworms/some gamebird starter) for a couple of weeks and see if this doesn't resolve.

She could have had mild perosis while still a poult and it is catching up to her. Infectious Arthritis, Synovitis or genetic predisposition are other possibilities. Since there aren't any other symptoms I'd doubt it is a toxin.

You appear to have patience so give the girl a chance and please post any changes or other symptoms.

Good Luck!

John

 

[Wolf-Kim]

She is a heritage turkey, not a broad-breasted. So it's not a weight or bone issue often found with the improved/broad-breasted meat turkeys.

She had laying pellets and kitchen scraps available to her during her broodiness. Although when I asked, it appears she would only come off her nest for the occasional table scrap and even then it was only a few days apart if at all.

So I'm thinking that perhaps it's a deficiency brought on by being broody and denying herself feed. She's off her nest now, but she was found on the floor of the barn trying to get back to her nest.

She's on chick starter/laying pellet mix inside a small rabbit hutch(so she is always within reach of her food and water). She'll get her vitamin powder mixed in her water tomorrow.

Just wanted to start a thread, maybe someone has dealt with it before.

Thanks everyone.
-Kim

 

[threehorses]

Like Ivan, I would also recommend the direct-feed vitamins so that you know what she's getting. The Enfamil PolyViSol (the one without the added iron - I got mine at Walmart) is a good way of getting the important oil-based vitamins to the birds quickly and with good absorbtion.. It also contains thiamine, and you don't have to worry about it degrading in the light in the waterer.

I'm also a little stumped but suspect, as you do, that it has something to do with her broody period. I do hope she improves, and look forward with hope to some good updates.

I love my turkeys to bits, so I have a bit of a soft spot for them.

 

[Mandie1st]

Was there ever any resolution to this?? I have a turkey girl doing the exact same, except mine isn't old enough to be broody. Everything else is the same. We've brought her inside until we can solve the issue.
Thoughts or suggestions?

 

[robing10]

Hi Mandie, How's your turkey doing? We have a tom who is experiencing issues...

 

[KountryKutie]

Thanks for checking.

You mentioned she was `unimproved' does this mean something like Standard Bronze? Or is she BB?

Do you know what she was being fed? Since they don't spend a great deal of time out eating while brooding (ours never leave for more than fifteen minutes at a time) and if the feed was `inadequate' it might well be diet related, try the multivitamins and higher protein feed (eggs/mealworms/some gamebird starter) for a couple of weeks and see if this doesn't resolve.

She could have had mild perosis while still a poult and it is catching up to her. Infectious Arthritis, Synovitis or genetic predisposition are other possibilities. Since there aren't any other symptoms I'd doubt it is a toxin.

You appear to have patience so give the girl a chance and please post any changes or other symptoms.

Good Luck!

John

John? This is a long shot if you are still here since this post is ages old, but if you are I could really use help with my turkey with similar problems. If you are able to help plz reach out to me at [email protected]. thx!!!