Wobbling 3 week old turkey, sits more than it can walk around at this point :[

[Isfrixis]

I'm very much worried, as you can imagine, and have spent hours trying to research my way out of this. Poor little guy can only manage a few steps before he has to lie down, and flaps quite a bit to keep from falling over when he wants to stand, but then just gives up. He also trembles when he is sitting. He doesn't sneeze or have any mucus, is eating and drinking normally still, and does not otherwise seem to be in any distress. Seems alert and clear eyed.

Originally, I kept them all on Aspen bedding until 4 days ago, because it was making all of them sneeze, so I switched to Eco-pak recycled paper bedding and all their sneezing went away as I had hoped. However, I have noticed there is a small sound when he peeps, kind of like the popping sound you get in your ears when you have sinus drainage and try to talk. No wheezing when he is just breathing without any peeps and cheeps. The three chicks are doing great, which is helping me stay reasonably calm about this..But on the other hand, I am totally new to keeping poultry. I have a fair bit of experience with exotic birds, but this is an entirely different thing, I've realized.

At this point I feel and hope that it is only vitamin deficiency, and will be bringing some home tomorrow to put in their water and see how the lil guy does. I keep them in my room in a sizeable trough under a heat lamp where they have plenty of room to move if they get hot. There is a digital thermometer in there, I change their water twice daily, they are all on chick starter, and they all get live mealworms or waxworms as treats every evening. Does anyone else have experience with this problem? Everything else I've read seems only similar, not quite like it could be my particular problem. I also read that sometimes their tendons pop out or something? How would I be able to tell if this is the case? Eagerly and sadly awaiting help...

 

[Isfrixis]

Also, they are on a medicated starter, and these symptoms have been going on for two days now. I wish I still had the bag to look at the contents, but I tossed it after putting it in an airtight container. It is standard starter feed brand from our local feed store (Callahan's, if anyone is familiar). Two people there told me it would be just fine to feed both the Turkey and the chicks with it, though I have become increasingly more dubious about it. I'd be very interested to hear some input on what the best feed for the Turkey would be, as I've found so many while looking online. I'd be okay with ordering some online. I know our feed store also carries Coyote Creek Organic starter as well but didn't find that out until a few days later, after buying 100 lbs of their regular ol name brand.. unfortunately, the gentleman behind the desk was super unhelpful towards me when I asked what kind of feeds they had. All he would tell me was "we got crumbles, an' we got pellets", twice in a row. I'm glad folks here are more helpful than that, haha.

I read a few instances where some Turkeys were gaining weight too fast to keep up with, but they were all much older turkeys. I just haven't been able to find anything that matches up with one that's around the age mine is. He does seem to suddenly be much larger the last few days, so hopefully it will turn out to be only that. A roommate that hadn't seen him for a few days even said the same..

And slightly off topic, but I've read that Turkeys should never drink cold water. Is this true, and if so why, and how cold is "cold"?

 

[Haida]

Hmm... personally, I would ditch the medicated feed. Its kind of a hit and miss subject, some people swear by it and others (such as myself) won't touch it. Instead I use Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar (the organic kind with the mother in it) in their water. I've never had an incidence of cocci. I also keep them off of soil until their heads are free of feathers and I do NOT give them bugs or worms when they're small. Granted, they are very VERY good at catching spiders and moths that make the mistake of going into their brooder, lol.

I do agree with you on a vitamin deficiency. Once a week or so, I sprinkle Solgar's Brewer's Yeast powder over their feed (a trick I learned from my emu babies who are now almost 4' tall, hahaha... it's good for all of those growing bones and joints!) and give them hardboiled egg yolks. For my adults, though, once a month, I give them plain organic Greek Yogurt mixed with hardboiled eggs and they totally crazy over it. I did give some of the plain yogurt to one of my little ones (he is a week old) as he had a case of pasty butt and that seemed to have helped, so I don't see why they couldn't have it as my adults do. In moderation, though, because they can't break down those dairy proteins that well. But anyways, if he's still eating and drinking ok, there's still a chance he can pull through! Go little one, go!

I've heard about cold water, too... I wouldn't give my young birds cold water, regardless of species, simply because we have well water and it comes out at about 45-50 degrees! I do half cold and half warm... not really lukewarm, but not enough to chill your fingers. My adults will peck through ice and eat snow if they have to (or sometimes they just want to... ever seen a turkey licking snow off of a wooden fence? Its the weirdest thing ever, but my birds are weird lol). I don't think its as much of an issue for adult turkeys. In the summer time, for my grown ups, I don't do anything special with the water and they swarm me when I go to change out their waters. They stand in their water bucket and drink right from hose. They're such a hoot.

Anyway, sorry for the long post! I hope this helps!

 

[Isfrixis]

Oh, God bless you. I called every health food store in my area this morning, and not even Central Market carries the Brewers Yeast you suggested. I ended up getting one from Twinlab. My only question being, are there any things in this that could potentially be toxic in their amounts, or just by themselves alone? There are significantly more things in this than the one you suggested! I have only been able to find toxic foods info, which I already know about. Anyhow, here are the Supplement Facts;


Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 1 Heaping Tablespoon (16 g)
Servings per Container: 31

Amount Per Serving​

% Daily Value​

Calories

35​

​

Protein

8 g​

16%​

Thiamin

1.4 mg​

93%​

Riboflavin

0.7 mg​

41%​

Niacin

5.3 mg​

27%​

Vitamin B6

0.6 mg​

30%​

Folic Acid

240 mcg​

60%​

Vitamin B12

2 mcg​

33%​

Biotin

16 mcg​

5%​

Pantothenic Acid

0.4 mg​

4%​

Calcium

59 mg​

6%​

Iron

1.5 mg​

8%​

Phosphorus

234 mg​

23%​

Magnesium

33 mg​

8%​

Zinc

1.2 mg​

8%​

Copper

0.5 mg​

25%​

Manganese

0.13 mg​

7%​

Chromium

60 mcg​

50%​

Sodium

60 mg​

3%​

Potassium

222 mg​

6%​

Alanine

592 mg​

*​

Arginine

464 mg​

*​

Aspartic Acid

800 mg​

*​

Glutamic Acid

1,120 mg​

*​

Glycine

400 mg​

*​

Histidine

208 mg​

*​

Isoleucine

400 mg​

*​

Cystine

112 mg​

*​

Leucine

624 mg​

*​

Lysine

592 mg​

*​

Methionine

144 mg​

*​

Phenylalanine

368 mg​

*​

Proline

400 mg​

*​

Threonine

400 mg​

*​

Serine

448 mg​

*​

Tryptophan

96 mg​

*​

Tyrosine

304 mg​

*​

Valine

480 mg​

*​

¹The L-Tryptophan in the product is naturally present in the protein. It is not added or manufactured.
²Essential Amino Acids.
³Branched Chain Amino Acids.
*Daily value not established.

I'm taking your recommendation on the ACV, I just went out and bought the biggest one I could find! It's been a miracle for me for various issues, and I take capsules every day- I can't believe I didn't even think of giving it to them! I never wanted to have them on medicated feed anyways, and I myself have always been against taking medicine, and opt for natural remedies. I'm going to get them all new food tomorrow anyhow, now that I finally have a day off work to spend time with them. I brought home some liquid vitamins for parrots for a couple days boost in their water, and cuttlebones. I pulverized them into powder and sprinkled some atop their feed. :] The perks of working at a pet store! We are a small business though, so we just don't have access to farming merchandise from any of our suppliers for some reason. At least my other animals don't cost me that much!

A most importantly, Baby Turkey is doing much better after I did the bandaid trick to keep his legs together through the night and all of today! He is at least able to stand up for a while without getting tired, but walking is still a challenge. I also switched out their bedding in favor of shop paper towels, and only left the paper shreds directly under their lamp. I am amazed at how much I've had to learn so fast- and here I thought it would be a fairly straightforward venture! Thank you again for your sage advice, I'm grateful beyond measure. My babies are well on their way to being spoiled rotten and thank you as well!

 

[Isfrixis]

Oh, I almost forgot! Why don't you feed them any bugs when they are young? I figured it would be good for the Turkey, as they need so much more protein that the chicks do. I only give them one each, anyways. I hope I haven't done anything bad!

 

[Haida]

I never thought about cuttlebones! I wonder if it's cheaper to grind that up rather than buy pre-crushed oyster shell? You could definitely get smaller pieces by grinding it up yourself... I might have to look into that! One of my turk hens won't touch oyster shell, so I wonder if I could 'trick' her into eating something finer?

As far as bugs go, I am just paranoid.

I would LOOOOVE to give them mealworms and waxworms, but we don't have anywhere around here that sells live ones... all I can find are freeze dried ones or crickets (which I've heard mixed things about) and then I could catch some wild crickets, but that's where my fear of illnesses come in, lol! I have had birds die in the past from blackhead--in fact all of my hens had it this spring but they somehow managed to pull through (here's the thread I started about it asking if it could be anything else) so I am worried about giving them buggies so young. I mean, I don't think they can get blackhead or anything like that from random bugs, but I would just rather wait until I know their little bodies can handle infections better (which is why I give them hardboiled egg yolks, I do like to give them something other than crumbles and they like it, too!).Oh, and never encourage them to eat earthworms as earthworms carry the secondary host for the blackhead protozoa as well as the protozoa itself. When they're out in the fields, of course they're going to eat all of those delicious worms (which is how my girls got sick, the weather got warm and the ground was literally MOVING with worms... it was like something out of a horror movie, ewww) but you can limit exposure when they're young. Chickens also carry the secondary host and protozoa, so you have to be kind of careful how/where you house your turkeys (and keep everyone wormed). The eggs from both can stay in the soil for a looong time... it's so annoying, lol. Chickens also aren't really affected by blackhead, so it's hard to tell if they're even carriers or not. That's my understanding of blackhead anyways, there's so many posts here about it. Hopefully you won't ever have to look into it.

I got off topic, oops. I hear parrot vitamins are one of the best things to give to an ill bird. And baby parrot food. But I've never used either of them (because they're ridiculously expensive at the pet stores here) but I would like to! I've only heard good things about them! As far as the list of vitamins goes, I didn't see anything bad... from what I can tell, you can't give them too many vitamins... they'll just pass what they don't need. One other thing that comes to mind is, I think turkeys can suffer from selenium poisoning, but I didn't see any selenium and I think you have to give them a lot, but I'm not sure!

Oh, and by the band-aid trick, did you mean you made leg hobbles for him? I've never had to do it for a turkey poult that old! But I'm glad it's working!! I also wanted to ask, when you pick him up, is he able to kick his legs out all the way straight? If he is, I would give him 'physical therapy'... hold him up and let him kick and try to walk without his legs having to support his weight. You can also gently help him stretch out those legs by pushing on the back of his hocks (I can post a video later to show what I mean, or you might be able to find something on Google about it) but whatever you do, don't pull on his legs. If he is unable to stretch one or both of his legs out (as in, they are stiff and permanently bent at the hocks), it may be irreparable.

But that usually happens for me shortly after they hatch (I think its a vitamin deficiency straight from the hen). How is he doing today?

I forgot to ask, what kind of turkeys are they?

Yeah... turkeys are kind of sensitive, but they are so worth it. By far, my favorite bird to have around. I'm not sure why, they're just so interesting to me... every day they teach me something new.

I hope this helps!

 

[Isfrixis]

Soo much work. I have had to work much more than normal the last two weeks due to one of the three other people I work with having Bronchitis. I barely have time for anything aside from sleep and chores and it has made it difficult for me to watch the birds to see how they are doing. I have so many animals to look after, at work and then when I come home that it is very overwhelming at this point having so many sick birds. Whatever is going on is much worse now. The popping sound turned into constant sneezing/runny nose and now he pants while breathing, and after three days of more or less being able to get around okay, the last two days he has been immobile again. This is breaking my heart. He sleeps most of the day and night, but when he is awake he definitely seems alert. I can tell he has a fever as well. I have separated him from the others to a cabinet cubby beside my bed with warm and cool sleeping spots. I feed and water him by hand every chance I get. I dropped the medicated feed I had been giving them, and started putting vitamins and antibiotics in their water. Now I am starting to wonder if I should only be doing the antibiotics. I've been using it for four days now and I haven't noticed improvement in any of the outdoor chickens, or my babies. All three chicks and the other turkey are sneezing. One chick is starting to lose muscle control rapidly, and the others wobble a bit when walking. I added some of the BDY to their foods today. I've been reading so much about poultry diseases that I don't know what to think. The outdoor chickens had been sneezing since the day we got them (which was about a month ago), and now the little bantam has one eye that is red and oozy. I am really hoping this isn't chlamydia... I did have a 5 day headache/eyeache/templeache, fever, and muscle weakness/lethargy, and now another roommate is feeling the same way, just without a headache. Hoping our human ailments are a separate issue. I had absolutely no clue that avian illnesses were so common, and that sooo many of them share identical symptoms. I made an appointment for little guy to see a vet Wednesday morning, but am torn on it still. I don't know if I should continue the Duramycin-10 and hope for the best, or give in and take the appointment. I have a bad feeling that medicine for 15 animals is not going to be cheap. I'm so affected by seeing them suffer with no improvement that I am losing rest and have raw nerves. And another thing I keep wondering is if anything I am doing is counteracting something else. I read about Soy blocking calcium and vitamin uptake. I have not been able to find any foods that do not contain soy. Now I will have to make my own... unfortunately where I live, health food stores take full advantage of the crazy hippies here and everything is a billion freaking dollars. And also the antibiotics they are on make it basically pointless to give them ACV, right? I am just... worn out feeling right now and have no more idea of what to do than when I knew less, somehow. ....not willing to give up yet, though. I wish a magic all knowing chicken god would come bless my poor babies, because I am way too poor for this right now. T_T I've already spent $150 in the last two weeks on them, and have been having money problems the last two months.

 

[Isfrixis]

And yes, I did make him hobbles. I had them on him for 2 days and felt like he was ready to have them off. He is still able to kick his legs and curl his toes, so that is good. When I pick him up though, he tucks his legs in or sticks them straight out, doesn't really kick around and I don't want to tug on them like you said. He at least has stopped having tremors for the most part.., but it is odd that he was having them for the twoish days he could get around, but now that he can't stand again he doesn't tremble anymore. I just don't know what to make of any of this! As far as what breeds they are, he is a Blue Slate, and the other which I think will be female, is a Bourbon Red. She is the only one not sneezing, but I can see her losing coordination in the last two days. :'[ I'm really glad that at the least, dogs and cats can't get this,or I would lose my mind. If you know anything about mixing vitamins/antibiotics/supplements, it would definitely help me out right now. My brain is overwhelmed with the 4 hours of research I just did. I decided to cancel my vet visit and call this mobile vet I found that specializes in poultry. I hope this is my salvation! I don't want to take him to an office anyways, especially if this is Chlamydia and will affect humans. Ughh! Nasty!