OMG...I Think I Have a Baby WILD Turkey...see pics..

[Big Red's Mom]

A friend said he found some chics wandering around...one was laying flat on the ground...so thinking it was sick he came to me to help. It is so small 1 or 2 days old...My guess.....It does look like a chick a little...It has huge feet and eyes. If it is a wild turkey I do not know where he found it to take it back...Said they were bush hogging.
I do not want it to die......It is asleep in the fold of my shirt now.
Help.......It has feathers on it's wing tips and that is about all.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Well I would not think you could take it back even if you knew the place. My mother recently called me from 1600 miles away wanting to know how to care for a baby bird that had fallen from the nest. I told her to treat it just like a baby chicken. Keep the temp around 90-95 degrees, dip its beak in the water (put marbles in the water if its tiny) and give it either chick starter or you can go to the pet store and get baby parrot formula and mix that with a little water. Keep it away from any drafts and pray. I don't know anything about keeping wild turkeys if in fact that is what you have but I would assume that you could raise it just like any other turkey.

Maybe someone else will have some more info to share.

Edit to say that if you don't have a brooder set up you could just use a regular lightbulb and a cardboard box but make sure you put something like paper towel or shavings down so that the little fellow don't get spraddle leg slipping and sliding in the poo.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Yup looks like a turkey to me!!!

 

[Laskaland]

Yes, it's a turkey. see the little flesh bump above it's beak? Treat it like a baby chicken. It may not be a wild one. My Narragansett kinda looked like that, as did my bronzes...sorta. Keep him/her WARM. they are more fragile than chickens
christina

 

[Big Red's Mom]

That is what I thought. I do have a brooder. Do turkeys need extra protein? Are they to be kept as warm as chicks? I have only had chickens, rabbits, dogs, turtles and fish. I always read and am very prepared when the pet comes home. This one was a surprise and I know nothing about Turkeys. I want it get it through the night until I can get the proper feed etc.......

Does anyone have an idea about age? Does it need a friend? Or will it be okay by itself?

 

[ArizonaNessa]

I don't know if they need extra protein but they make food just for turkeys. As for the warmth I would say yes keep the temps the same as for chickens. Maybe try a little egg yolk if nothing else.

 

[MandyH]

Turkeys require higher protein feed. 28% or higher. They are brooded like chicks except they have to stay warm for longer. They are BAD to catch a chill. Also, they need to stay in a brooder until 12 weeks, turning them out early leads to Cocci and such. They are fragile for a while.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

How is the little turkey doing now?

 

[Big Red's Mom]

The little one is doing okay....Drinking some...It actually ate a bug. It is in my dining room in a brooder and it is staying close to a feather duster. I think I have found a place to take it. My uncle has 13 little turkeys and 9 more in the inc. that should hatch any day now. He said he would take it. Now I just have to talk my 8 year old into it. He is very smart and helps with the chickens so he knows that they need big families to stay warm, feel safe and to be happy. Okay it is after 10pm here and the little TURKEY just started peeping very loud...I may go and turn the TV back on...It was quiet then. This may be a long night.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Anytime I have to rehome something that my son loves, I tell him that it needs to go be with its family so it can live happy and play with its brothers and sisters. He is always okay with that idea. My son is 7. As long as he thinks its going to make the animal happy he is fine. Every now and then he will say something about how much he misses "insert name here" and then we will talk about why it had to go be with its family and he is okay again.