Turkeys badly injured- don't know whether to put them out of misery

[chickenannie]

Had a fox attack very early this morning. I went out to feed before work and found them. 2 BR turkeys killed and 2 very badly wounded. I don't think the tom will make it, but I don't know whether to try to help them, just let them alone see how it goes, or put them out of their misery. I brought them in the house where it's warm, with food and water (they're not at ALL interested).

The RB tom is bleeding from the chest slowly -- much of the flesh pulled off and various wounds. He's unable to walk, just shivering and about to give up and looks very bad off. His eyes will open when I come in though. I'm not even sure how I would treat him.

The RB hen was slowly limping, but her whole side has the flesh pulled off. She's in the best shape, but I also don't know how to treat her. She's just laying there with her head down,

They hate being handled and before when I've tried to treat wounds the birds get VERY stressed out, trying to get away from me and that seems to make things worse.

Anyone?

 

[MissPrissy]

Are you raising them for food?

If you harvest them now they will be edible. If you wait and infection sets in or they die from the injury you shouldn't eat them.

If they are suffering, you need to put them out of their misery.

If you plan to nurse them, no one can promie a good outcome. You'll have to bring them in to a warm place and tend their wound several times a day. Rinse with warmish saline. Clean with a iodine wash. Apply neosporin to the wounds. If they are severe sew them up.

Good luck with what you choose.

 

[chickenannie]

Thanks, miss prissy.
They're still alive. The hen is now worse off than the tom. I hadn't noticed her large neck wound previously. A friend who's a doctor stopped by and he stitched up the wounds on both birds, but he doesn't think they're going to make it. I am so thankful to him for being willing to try, though. They are both very very thirsty so I've been putting eyedroppers full into their beaks in the hope that some will get down the throat.

 

[chickenannie]

We did all that suturing, and now I don't think the hens going to make it.

 

[jhm47]

You might be totally amazed with the healing power of these birds. Allow them to have access to water, and some feed, and allow them to rest for a few days, and you might be pleasantly surprised. Keep them hydrated and in a fairly dark place where they can rest undisturbed. After a day or two, you might allow them to eat a small amount. Gradually increase their feed each day. Turkeys are amazingly tough, if healthy. They die easily if they contract a disease. Good luck!

 

[Emzyyy]

I'd keep tryin' you would be surprised.

 

[chickenannie]

Thanks for the encouragement. I think the hen is on her last legs. Waiting for a miracle. And the tom is having all sorts of secondary problems I hadn't counted on, like he can't hold his head up and his wattles are full of blood. I sacrificed a pillow so he can keep his head up higher, but I don't think he's going to make it either.

This is so hard. I'm really questioning this. If I think about it from the turkey's perspective, maybe it would've been better to just end their lives after seeing their wounds, rather than make them go through the suturing and now this suffering. These are my breeding birds, maybe I was selfish in wanting to keep them alive and trying to treat them. But I felt like once I decided to treat them, I had to continue with it, cuz i don't know -- there's a very slim chance that they could recover, like you both said.

 

[Attack Chicken]

I'm so sorry this happend *hugs* Hopefully a miracle will happen for you. You must get that fox out of there before it happens again.

 

[chickenannie]

I have a fox trapper who's had traps here since end of October. And, I laced the outside of the pasture fence with extra chicken wire down to the ground. I think the fox JUMPED over a 4.5 foot high fence. That's the only way he couldve gotten in.

 

[nnbreeder]

Fox are excellent climbers, jumpers and diggers.