I just got my first batch of turkeys yesterday, from Strombergs. 14 are doing fine, but one of the Bourbon reds is weak, but has a strong peep. She won't keep her eyes open, only a little slit once in awhile. I opened them with a qtip and they seem okay. I started feeding and watering by hand and have isolated her from the others. I'm giving her a mixture of yogurt, medicated starter , mashed sweet potatoes, vit e and cod liver oil and brewers yeast.
Has anyone ever heard of this? Anything else I can do?
"blind" poult HELP
I know nothing about turkeys but I would think at least food and water and keep them nice and warm.
So far they seem a lot like chickens. I'm new to the site, but when I read the messages the other day about having chicks in the house, I knew I had found my new favorite spot.
I had a blind chick I hatched myself. It has some vision problems still, but repeatedly washing its face with warm water and a cloth helped remove the membrane that had stuck. The thing is, my chick had wide open eyes. It peeped constantly and took several days before it fed and drank normally. I spoke to the state avian vet and he said blind chicks do well as long as they are in a location where the position of the food and water stay stable. Mine takes his cues from the other chicks. He was smaller to begin with (the lit says blind chicks tend to be smaller) but is now the same size as the others. He has some vision--but it is not normal, yet he does very well so long as he is with the others.
Give your poult some time--I didn't think mine would survive, but after a few days he was fine.
hmm, electrolytes can't hurt. with the ones i have hatched, it seems when they are giving up, weak , or hurting, they close their eyes...
hre you go:
http://www.moonlightmileherbs.com/electrolytes.html
i don't think the poult is blind like catscan's [though i thought of that first]. i think it is weak and there are underlying issues. giving it the strength to stay alive is first and foremost. if it weakens further it will stop eating and only last a few days, withering away...
I agree tf--it doesn't sound like it is behaving the way mine did. Mine was very active and agitated. Its eyes were wide open and it ran around with its wings outstretched, peeping. Closed eyes sound more like exhaustion or illness.
Thanks for the feedback, I never know if I should just give up on them or not. I got the Vi-Tal vitamins and electrolyte mineral supplement at the co op, but it's hard to figure out quantity, 6 oz per 128 gallons for 24,000 chicks. So I put 4 grains in a quart. She had one eye open for awhile, but now she just woke up and they are closed again. Better try feeding her again.
deedee i neglected to welcome you here! i am preoccupied at the moment with nutrition and kiddos etc... WELCOME TO DAVE's...
don't know how long you have been doing this, but unfortuantely some chicks and poults just don't make it, no matter what we do. BUT i always feel we DON'T know who/when, so i always do my best to help them through... i even hold them when i know they are going...
everything you are doing sounds right, just add electrolytes first and foremost.
basically it could just be some bacteria from hatching that it isn't going to survive without assistance...
can you try just pedialyte? or the link i gave above? that is better elctrolytes... without all the viatmins that might throw her off...
I tried the electrolyte solution, she took it better than the water, about 10 sips. She sure is weak tho. I was wondering if one of the stronger ones had pecked at her eyes and damaged them during shipping. One of them was very aggresive when they arrived. It calm now that they have more room and things to do.
Thanks for the welcome! We've had chickens for 4 years without problems, except a bout of cocci this spring.
It's my first try with turkeys, and everything I read says they are easy to kill.
do a little digigng in this forum you will find lots of good threads with turkey info ;-) thinking good htoughts for the poult...
She made it thru the night, seems stronger, I saw her peck at her mash, that's a first. She's taking the electrolyte by hand really well, so I put it in her water dish too. Thanks so much everyone. The next day or 2 will tell.