warm, swollen turkey leg

[R2elk]

Just returned from the poultry vet. The swelling and heat in her leg and foot has improved significantly since I previously posted, but she is still limping.

The vet said there were no signs of bumblefoot or infection, and we both thought it may have gotten injured from jumping down from the stool she used to sleep on (which I removed from the barn as soon as she started limping).

The vet suggested I re-start doing the Epsom salt soaks once a day. That will be much easier now that it's getting warmer!

It was definitely worth the money, and the 45 minute drive, to find out I don't have to be so worried about her, that she seems to be in great health, and she's not overweight.

One interesting thing... the vet told me she is a male because she has a beard. I said "well, she lays eggs"! So then the vet said that was very interesting, and that she must have xxy chromosome, and she had seen it in cats, but never a turkey.

Maybe that explains why she is so moody. She can literally be trying to bite you one minute, and then try to climb on your lap for cuddles the very next minute. It happens frequently!

Sorry, your vet doesn't know squat about turkeys. Bearded hens are common and a person that bases the sex of a turkey on it's beard does not know turkeys. Your vet also apparently does not know that birds do not have X, Y chromosomes. Birds have Z, W chromosomes. Hens are ZW and are the ones that determine the sex of the offspring. Males are WW.

 

[Trampmom]

You may well be very correct about the vet, but the only other vet I found was an hour and a half away. I also think maybe they were trying to explain it to me in a way that would be easier for me to understand.

When I "Googled" it, what I found said that only 10-20 percent of turkey hens grow beards, and that it was considered a genetic mutation. I didn't get any further than that. I'm glad to hear it's not such an uncommon thing.

She can be a sweet, little stinker and I love her! I'm glad she seems to be getting better.