Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Turkey hospital patient not improving

The turkey that got sick has been in isolation for a few days, with no change for the better yet. We have him on food with added minerals and vitamins, diatamaecous earth, and herbal wormer. The drinking water has added electrolytes and probiotics. Today I found it necessary to move the water and feed bowl closer to the edge of the stall because he is too weak to stand and eat without falling over. When he is able to lay against the wall and reach the food and water he drank and ate some.

It is  very difficult to tell whats wrong with him, but best guess is pointing to infection by a protozoan parasite that is carried by wild birds and chickens.There is some evidence of a couple of other turkeys fighting the disease also, but they look like they are beating it. Just this one turkey is falling prey this severely.

Nevertheless we are treating the entire flock with extra wormer, probiotic, and diatamecous earth. I also have moved the coop to dry ground and will be moving to fresh ground twice a day until all symptoms have passed. This particular disease is mostly transmitted through bird droppings, so lessening the exposure to droppings is important.

Here is a video of the sick turkey. notice how he stumbles backwards and struggles to stand straight. If anyone has suggestions on how to better treat him please feel free to comment.



If he doesn't make it, an autopsy will tell for sure if he had the protozoan parasite, and if so which strain. This knowledge might help to treat the remaining flock.

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