Turkey with bad case of pox? (picture)

[ShadyHoller]

Thank you all very much for your help. However, durnit, you've given me two conflicting possible explanations, and they both seem equally plausible!

In favor of the fighting explanation: we've got the fact that these scabs don't have any of the yellow, crusty qualities I've found in the pictures of avian pox online. There's also the fact that some of you have seen something like this before that came from fighting.

In favor of the pox explanation: we've got the fact that it would be hard to imagine this guy getting such a thorough beating that even the protected skin behind his jaw and under his jowl was pink and peeling, especially when all the jakes are the same age (4 1/2 months) and I've never seen them be particularly aggressive toward each other. It's also hard to imagine this much bruising when there aren't any scrapes or cuts. I know the birds can get mean and nasty as they get older, but this would be an abrupt change.

In summary, we have separated him from the flock and we are in wait-and-see mode. If some of the other birds come down with pox, that will be case-closed. If he recovers and none of the other birds have this happen to them, then it'll remain somewhat of a mystery, but we'll attribute it to fighting.

Either way, it does not seem like blackhead disease (no yellow droppings, and he's still quite alive) which is a relief. That probably would have spelled the end for this year's turkeys, which would have been a bummer of record-breaking proportions.

Thanks again, and if there is anything else any of you think I should know, I'm always grateful for the advice.

 

[Randy]

It's from fighting.

 

[Frosty]

I think I would lean more towards the pox theory, and here is why... The scabs look thick and uniform, and if it was from fighting I would expect to see at least some swelling to go with it. As far as none of the other birds having it, I was looking pox up out of curiosity and it seems to be a slow moving disease. Some information also seems to indicate that some birds may have natural resistance. One site mentioned removing infected birds from the flock or culling them, nowhere did I see to depopulate which would indicte to me that not all of the birds will get it.

Here is a little more info that I found from Michigan DNR (alond with a few pics of birds severely infected that look worse than yours): http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26362--,00.html I could say that I never saw a case that bad, but only because I have never seen it at all in person.

 

[ShadyHoller]

Well, I couldn't believe it at first, but I'm becoming convinced that this was caused by fighting. Some of the scabs have fallen off of his snood and wattles, and there are scratch marks underneath, indicative of getting in a fight.

So, the next question: should I put him in there with the others, and let things work themselves out, or should I separate him? His body language is pretty sheepish, and he tries to keep his distance from the other turkeys, but he otherwise seems fine. When we give them a handful of cracked corn, he gets to work on it with as much enthusiasm as his coop-mates. The other turkeys seem to be leaving him alone for the most part, but I have seen chickens start picking on one bird and then not laying off, and just persecuting her worse and worse until we intervened. I don't want that to happen here. I know there's a similar discussion going on right now on another thread, and I'm watching that conversation closely. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=398467

Thanks again everyone for your help. I've done chickens for forever, but this is our first batch of knuckleheaded turkeys.

 

[turkaholic]

Knuckleheads they are.....glad to hear it is not pox.

I just pulled a royal palm hen out of the pen. Severe swelling and lacerations. The other hens were hammering on her. Here we go again! For some reason, the birds seem overly aggressive this year and they have more space than ever!

 

[ivan3]

Just some shots a person posted of a very bad case of Dry Pox for comparison: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=343995

 

[OmaBird]

Quote:
Great picture. Sure does not look like the same thing.

 

[OmaBird]

Quote:
Has to do with hormones not space. Mine did it free ranged on 5 acres. You Tube has videos of wild turkeys fighting on range.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Great picture. Sure does not look like the same thing.

Ivan,

was there a better pic of that? look at the back of the head and the solid gray scab in your pic. That is the same don't you think? If the op's was a healing pic it would be less severe. I have seen alot of turkey fights but never a solid scab like that.

Steve

 

[ivan3]

Steve_of_sandspoultry wrote: was there a better pic of that? look at the back of the head and the solid gray scab in your pic. That is the same don't you think? If the op's was a healing pic it would be less severe. I have seen alot of turkey fights but never a solid scab like that.

Sad to say, those were the only shots in the only post ever made by that member (get this often in the Emergencies subject line).

The OP's pic reveals no clear evidence of pustules/wheals/well demarcated pox, the other turk clearly does.

Like you, I've never seen completely scabbed over heads due to sparring, but our three came pretty close (pine tar pretty much made observation of the healing process impossible). I wonder about the Wild Eastern's history prior to being found by the road (probably more than just Pox plaguing the poor guy).

Had the OP actually observed the sparring (and it would take a few hours of serious brouhaha to do that damage - and none of the others had a mark on them?), I'd think sparring accounted for the injury. The only other thing I can think of are the abrasions resulting from a stressed-out bird's pacing and butting chicken wire for hours on end.​