Turkey with foot problem

[Lostinidahofalls]

Hi guys, new here. I live in Idaho and we already had some snow, so it’s been cold! I have a female turkey who is limping. I posted a pic, not the best pic but you can see one foot is pretty puffy. I see no injury or anything wrapped around it. It does not look red. I have not chased her around to pick it up and look at the bottom though. I’m wondering would cold have anything to do with it? She has shelter and a perch but she decides to sleep on the fencing outside rather than go in, even in the snow. Or…is it a bumble foot type thing? Any suggestions on how I can help her?

 

[R2elk]

Hi guys, new here. I live in Idaho and we already had some snow, so it’s been cold! I have a female turkey who is limping. I posted a pic, not the best pic but you can see one foot is pretty puffy. I see no injury or anything wrapped around it. It does not look red. I have not chased her around to pick it up and look at the bottom though. I’m wondering would cold have anything to do with it? She has shelter and a perch but she decides to sleep on the fencing outside rather than go in, even in the snow. Or…is it a bumble foot type thing? Any suggestions on how I can help her? View attachment 2868057

A hard landing on frozen ground can cause a foot or hip injury.

 

[Lostinidahofalls]

A hard landing on frozen ground can cause a foot or hip injury.

I think she maybe a bit over weight and she does do some hard landings. I caught her and held her for my husband to take a pic of the bottom of her foot for me, so I could see it, but he didn’t wipe it off first so I still can’t tell. But to me, the bottom doesn’t look swollen, it’s more like the top, “ankle” area? So maybe she did hurt it landing hard.

 

[R2elk]

From your first picture it looks like a broad breasted white. She should be discouraged from roosting any higher than a couple of feet off of the ground.

 

[Lostinidahofalls]

Thank you. And yes, she is a broad breasted white. She normally roosts now on the edge of a horse feeder which is a couple feet high. Not too bad. I think she’s too heavy to get herself up onto the fencing now, she kind of face plants even from the feeding bucket. I’m not sure how big is too big. She’s a pet, I’m not going to eat her, so maybe I should try to restrict her diet, though I feel like she doesn’t get that much. Turkeys are new to me.

 

[R2elk]

Thank you. And yes, she is a broad breasted white. She normally roosts now on the edge of a horse feeder which is a couple feet high. Not too bad. I think she’s too heavy to get herself up onto the fencing now, she kind of face plants even from the feeding bucket. I’m not sure how big is too big. She’s a pet, I’m not going to eat her, so maybe I should try to restrict her diet, though I feel like she doesn’t get that much. Turkeys are new to me.

A maintenance diet for a BBW hen can be as low 12% protein. You definitely want to restrict treats and not give her any high fat treats such as BOSS. Activity helps such as taking her for walks and letting her free range if you can.

 

[Lostinidahofalls]

She doesn’t get any treats other than some meal worms and sunflower seeds, sometimes she gets veggies. I’d like to let her free range with the chickens, I’m just worried about her wandering off, and she has 2 chickens she was raised with who are her buddies, she gets particularly upset when the rooster chases them. I’m worried they would fight, she’s my gentle giant so I worry about her. Thank you for all the info you have provided. It looks like the swelling has gone down since this morning So I’ll just watch it for now.

 

[R2elk]

She doesn’t get any treats other than some meal worms and sunflower seeds, sometimes she gets veggies. I’d like to let her free range with the chickens, I’m just worried about her wandering off, and she has 2 chickens she was raised with who are her buddies, she gets particularly upset when the rooster chases them. I’m worried they would fight, she’s my gentle giant so I worry about her. Thank you for all the info you have provided. It looks like the swelling has gone down since this morning So I’ll just watch it for now.

Stop giving her both the mealworms and the BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds). The mealworms are 50% protein which she does not need. The BOSS is 50% fat which she also does not need.