Very Sick Baby Turkey!!

[Poultryluver11]

Hello!
I am a new member to this community but have been actively reading and learning from this website since I started my poultry-loving journey early this year!
I am sadly having a bit of a problem. I have a sick week-old baby turkey. She can’t poop on her own - she strains and pushes and cries then little to nothing actually comes out. Her vent area is swollen and balloon-like. I have “drained” her twice by putting her in lukewarm water then gently massaging to help her poo. This helps deflate her balloony bum. A LOT came out. She is eating and drinking fine and seems alert. Her poop is brown and normal looking just slightly watery. I have added molasses to her water, and have applied Vaseline to her vent multiple times.
Maybe I am just being impatient and just need to give her time to heal but I would like to solve this issue. I have heard about feeding them bits of cold coconut oil which I am going to do next. Also, I stupidly put the turkeys on shavings since day 1, so am starting to think that she maybe ingested some and is struggling to pass them? Not sure what else I can do. Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks!

 

[R2elk]

Hello!
I am a new member to this community but have been actively reading and learning from this website since I started my poultry-loving journey early this year!
I am sadly having a bit of a problem. I have a sick week-old baby turkey. She can’t poop on her own - she strains and pushes and cries then little to nothing actually comes out. Her vent area is swollen and balloon-like. I have “drained” her twice by putting her in lukewarm water then gently massaging to help her poo. This helps deflate her balloony bum. A LOT came out. She is eating and drinking fine and seems alert. Her poop is brown and normal looking just slightly watery. I have added molasses to her water, and have applied Vaseline to her vent multiple times.
Maybe I am just being impatient and just need to give her time to heal but I would like to solve this issue. I have heard about feeding them bits of cold coconut oil which I am going to do next. Also, I stupidly put the turkeys on shavings since day 1, so am starting to think that she maybe ingested some and is struggling to pass them? Not sure what else I can do. Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks!

If your turkeys are on wood shavings, you have to provide them with appropriate sized grit. They will eat the shavings. Without the grit, they cannot grind up the shavings in their gizzard. They will plug up and they will die.

 

[Poultryluver11]

If your turkeys are on wood shavings, you have to provide them with appropriate sized grit. They will eat the shavings. Without the grit, they cannot grind up the shavings in their gizzard. They will plug up and they will die.

Okay thank you for the advice. Is there anything I can do for her now?

 

[R2elk]

Okay thank you for the advice. Is there anything I can do for her now?

Probably too late for that one.