Wild turkey with swollen face

[Shantali]

Saturday, this wild turkey was hanging out in my front yard and I noticed that one side of his (I named him Jim, but looking at Google images of turkeys, Jim is probably a lady?) face is REALLY swollen.
Jim's back today still looking like a Frankenstein, so I called animal control, but they only deal with turkeys that are seriously injured (like hit by a car) or dead, and leave the roaming birds be.
I also called an animal rescue nonprofit but they don't do pickups, and I'm reluctant to try to capture a wild turkey.
Sooooo that being said, what can I do to help the bird?

 

[wamtazlady]

There is probably little you can do for the turkey. Trying to catch it will just cause it a lot of stress as it's a wild animal. If you have some antibiotics you could offer it food or water that contains the antibiotics that would help if that lump is an infection. However, the lump on the face may be a tumor in which case antibiotics will not do any good at all.

It's a wild creature. In most cases you just have to let nature take its course.

 

[R2elk]

Saturday, this wild turkey was hanging out in my front yard and I noticed that one side of his (I named him Jim, but looking at Google images of turkeys, Jim is probably a lady?) face is REALLY swollen.
Jim's back today still looking like a Frankenstein, so I called animal control, but they only deal with turkeys that are seriously injured (like hit by a car) or dead, and leave the roaming birds be.
I also called an animal rescue nonprofit but they don't do pickups, and I'm reluctant to try to capture a wild turkey.
Sooooo that being said, what can I do to help the bird?

The person that you should have called is your local game warden (DNR officer). Wild game animals are their business. I suspect that their response would be to remove it from the population to prevent the possibility of disease spreading.

 

[Shantali]

Re: Game warden - I reached California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and they recommended contacting the Wildlife Care Association, which happens to be the same animal rescue nonprofit I called earlier. They do not provide pickup services.

Re: Antibiotics - I could do that. But if that lump is not an infection, will antibiotics harm the turkey?

 

[Melky]

Saturday, this wild turkey was hanging out in my front yard and I noticed that one side of his (I named him Jim, but looking at Google images of turkeys, Jim is probably a lady?) face is REALLY swollen.
Jim's back today still looking like a Frankenstein, so I called animal control, but they only deal with turkeys that are seriously injured (like hit by a car) or dead, and leave the roaming birds be.
I also called an animal rescue nonprofit but they don't do pickups, and I'm reluctant to try to capture a wild turkey.
Sooooo that being said, what can I do to help the bird?


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If you have a big dog crate or something similar. You can just entice it with food safe for a turkey. When the turkey goes in for the food close the door. Take to wildlife rehab Center otherwise nothing to do if can’t catch it.