Turkeys For 2013

[Arielle]

az-- vaccinations are an involved subject. I think the value of vaccines are very high when used appropriately and correctly.

I had a vet that told me NOT to vaccinate for pox in my sheep because I could introduce a more virulent form. Better to just deal with the occassional outbreak because my sheep were exposed to a new ram that carried it. ( At purchse, He no longer showed lesions but gave it to my unprotected sheep.)

So you need to be very thought ful as to what to vaccinate and what not: you will need to learn what the local diseases are. Join a local poultry club and talk to the long time members. Vets are usually dog/cat vets and don't usually know about chickens and livestock issues. You can also try the county extension for information.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Where do y'all get your fowl pox vaccinations? I am a new turkey person and live in Arizona so I need to know about this!! It sounds like I do NOT want it in my birds!!  I have worked with horses and now own 2 and I know about all their nasty bugs!! I give vaccinations yearly to them. I would appreciate any advice from you turkey pros!!  Would you ship your BRs to Arizona. I would just love a young pair!! I love my turkeys they are such cool birds and very personable although my Tom Mr. Henry is a guard dog when he is out of the coop!! I am hoping that now that he has a hen and 3 poults ( a ready made family) he gets better!! He is much happier and has finally started acting like a turkey instead of a person!! He definitely had an identity crisis!!  As I said would appreciate any advice!! All y'alls birds are gorgeous!!

No, you DO NOT want WET pox in your flock. Dry pox is ok if it doesn't turn into wet pox. Once that happens, you're almost doomed to lose some if not all of your birds.

You can get the fowl pox vaccination from this site. However it indicates that they cannot ship to AZ. I don't know why though.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/pox_vaccine.html

Another site.
http://www.jefferspet.com/vaccines/camid/liv/cc/3501/

http://www.apa-abayouthpoultryclub.org/Edu_Material/VACCINATING FOR FOWL POX.pdf

I was NEVER a person to vaccinate for fowl pox until last year or maybe the year before that when about 12 young poults initially got dry pox and then it turned in to the wet pox. OMG!! You DO NOT want to have to deal wet pox. I live in south louisiana and the mosquitoes here come out in record numbers. I can't even go out at night without suiting up in long pants, long sleeve shirt or thin jacket that has a hood so that I can put the hood over my head to cover my ears and face AND gloves. That's how bad the mosquitoes are. If I am having that much trouble with the mosquitoes and I'm only out there for an hour finishing up the chores, I can imagine what my birds are having to deal with sleeping through all of the mosquitoes bites and pestering. And then for them to get dry powl and possibly having that turn in to wex pox. It is unimaginable.

When my 12 poults (about 3 months old) got the wet pox, it was a terrible case. They could not eat or drink. Most of their eyes were shut and they could not see. I was hand feeding 12 poults 3 times a day and giving them water in syringes as often as possible. I was cleaning their faces (eyes, beaks, mouth, etc) twice a day with saline solution. I did this for about a month. When I would get off from work, I would care for them in shift as I was trying to finish up the chores with the other animals. I wouldn't finish up with them until 1:00 AM. I was determined for them to live. They were literally knocking at death's door. It was a miracle that ALL of them survived. There was 1 that did lose sight in 1 eye. Other than that, you cannot tell that they were even sick. If I had not provided that type of care to them, they would have ALL died.

I can speak from experience. If you are concerned about pox, I would strongly urge you to vaccinate. You DO NOT want your turkeys to go through what mine had. If I would have known how serious wet pox was a couple years ago, my poults would have been vaccinated. As of today, all of my new babies are vaccinated. I refuse to go through that again. It wasn't fair to my birds.

 

[redneck farmer]

One of my chickens has yellow poop. Is this a sign of blackhead!!!??!?!? My turkey currently does not live with this brid but he will soon! Could this be a problem!!?!!? This chicken of mine also looks like she ain't growing... I thought blackhead has no effects on chickens? Could her eggs be safe to eat?
Edit: her poops are NOT yellow watery poops just normal poop but instead of white part of a "normal poop" it's yellow

 

[aztuffenuff]

Thanks so much for your information. I will do what you suggested. I have a vet that treated my Narry tom. He fell on a T-post and it got infected. She specializes in birds and did a great job treating him. I would have lost him otherwise!

 

[kuntrygirl]

One of my chickens has yellow poop. Is this a sign of blackhead!!!??!?!? My turkey currently does not live with this brid but he will soon! Could this be a problem!!?!!? This chicken of mine also looks like she ain't growing... I thought blackhead has no effects on chickens? Could her eggs be safe to eat?
Edit: her poops are NOT yellow watery poops just normal poop but instead of white part of a "normal poop" it's yellow

Can you post a pic of her poop or tell us what does her poop look like based on the poop in the pics on this link?

See Poop Pics
http://pluckandfeather.com/chicken-poo-chart-graphic.html

 

[redneck farmer]

It looks just like the one with the dime next to it in the normal poops but instead if the white it's bright yellow like a sunflower plant
Here is a pic it's not the best but it looks like normal with a yellow Color

 

[redneck farmer]

An no it's not oily or foamy

 

[kuntrygirl]

It looks just like the one with the dime next to it in the normal poops but instead if the white it's bright yellow like a sunflower plant
Here is a pic it's not the best but it looks like normal with a yellow Color

Your descriptions sounds like it's a normal to me. So your concern is just that she is not growing? Could she have eaten something that caused the yellow color? Is her poop yellow all the time? Is her eating and drinking normal?

How old is she? Where did you get her from? Is she a bantam?

 

[Arielle]

WHen I see poos that are yellowy, I think " hmm, when was the last time I gave them probiotics". THis is the kind of poo I see in my cornish X pen. ( Giving them fermented feed now to help with that.)

 

[redneck farmer]

Your descriptions sounds like it's a normal to me. So your concern is just that she is not growing? Could she have eaten something that caused the yellow color? Is her poop yellow all the time? Is her eating and drinking normal?

How old is she? Where did you get her from? Is she a bantam?

Her poop Is always been like that sense week
6 an she is 18 weeks right now.
She is not a bantam
I got her from a local feed store (she is a Ameraucana X RIR)
She eats like a hog an drinks fine.
I don't think she eat something that would cause it to be yellow because she has two sisters an they all eat the same thing an there poop is not yellow.
Ya I guess my concern is that she is not growing... I only think she is not growing because she used to be the biggest chicken an now she ain't an my other concern is if its blackhead or not

WHen I see poos that are yellowy, I think " hmm, when was the last time I gave them probiotics".  THis is the kind of poo I see in my cornish X  pen. ( Giving them fermented feed now to help with that.)

Where could I find fermented feed an how long do I give it to her!?