Angel wing in turkey poult?

[caseyahall]

First time turkey mom! I was curious if this is angel wing or a normal part of growing? I was told it was angel wing and then told turkeys don't get angel wing and it was normal. I feed the gamebird starter which is 30% protein, so seeing angel wing is caused by high protein diet I need to know if I should change their diet or if I need to wrap the wings. If it is normal, I just need to know so I'm not a worry wart

 

[coach723]

I don't think it's angel wing, that is more common in water birds. Many chicks, all kinds, can have those first flight feathers look wonky when they start coming in, they usually straighten out and look normal in a week or so. When they are mostly fuzz, those feathers are much more prominent looking. I've attached a picture of one of my chicken chicks at 5 days old, looking similar. After another week, it looked completely normal. Angel wing is when the last joint in the wing is actually twisted, and makes the wing tips stick out.

 

[caseyahall]

I really hope it is something that "it" will grow out of. I've never had any of my chicks do it nor is it's sibling showing the same issue, so I wanted to be safe! "It" is also a bigger build than it's sibling so that may be why "it" looks so different.

 

[coach723]

In chickens, sometimes breed or sex can make a difference in where it shows up. I've had more than a few with wonky first feathers, but many never look like this. I've never had one that turned out to have angel wing, it's always a short term thing that goes away as they feather out. I freaked a bit the first time I saw it in a chick. I don't worry about it now.

 

[R2elk]

First time turkey mom! I was curious if this is angel wing or a normal part of growing? I was told it was angel wing and then told turkeys don't get angel wing and it was normal. I feed the gamebird starter which is 30% protein, so seeing angel wing is caused by high protein diet I need to know if I should change their diet or if I need to wrap the wings. If it is normal, I just need to know so I'm not a worry wart

Angel wing is defined as a waterfowl issue. Turkey poults do not get angel wing. This is a normal development stage in turkey poult development.

They will grow out of it without any intervention from you.

Keep your poults on the 30% protein starter until they are 6 to 8 weeks old.

Turkeys are not waterfowl. They do not get angel wing. They do need a high protein starter that also contains the higher levels of lysine, methionine and niacin they need for their proper development.