# Turkey got really beat up... GRAPHIC PICTURE...



## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 2, 2012)

*I posted this on BYC, but oddly I didn't get any responses. 

2 days ago I woke up to my turkey's head really really messed up. Black and blue and swollen and full of blood.

I thought he got it stuck in the fence or maybe a dog grabbed him or something~ but there was no puncture marks, so I was confused.

But after MUCH research and only ONE other picture on the internet I'm lead to believe he was ganged up on and beaten up by the other turkeys.

He is only 5 months old and I've heard their hormones can go crazy at that point.

He was down all day yesterday on the ground, couldn't open his eyes, not eating and I thought I was going to lose him.

I read that you could give aspirin and antibiotics to them but I couldn't find any dosages and no one answered so I went with my best guesses.

I gave him 1 adult aspirin crushed up in about 8 cc's of water. 1.5 cc of Penicillin and 1.5 cc of Tylan 50. All one time per day.

I also poured a ton of iodine water over his head the first and second day. 

The second day all the skin was super hard and black and cracking so I iodine watered it again and spread neosporin all over it.

On the second day I also gave him about 50 cc's of watery mash with electrolytes because he wasn't eating or drinking.

He is up walking around and can open his eyes today so hopefully he will make it.

I just wanted to post this to see if anyone had any dosage ideas and because maybe it will help someone else in the future.

Checked on them at 11 pm and they were fine, went out again at 8 am and he looked like this:





The swelling is wayyyy down and he is at least up and walking around and drinking this morning.
*


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## bonbean01 (Aug 2, 2012)

Wow...poor guy has really been beaten up!!!  I don't have turkeys and have no idea on dosages or medications, but looks to me like what you did has helped him and he'll make it.  Getting up and eating and drinking is great...good job 

Hope some turkey people can give you advice, athough it looks like you've managed all on your own.  BYC is more complicated now with that forum and I gave up on that forum since I'm on a limited data plan and don't want to go over just navigating through all the ads.

Hope your little turkey keeps getting better and better


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 2, 2012)

*Thanks bonbean... I didn't think he would make it, but now I'm starting to think he will. 

I'm not on there too much either, same deal here, limited megabites per day and that site just loads wayyyyyyyy to slow for me. *


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## Bridgemoof (Aug 2, 2012)

Aww poor turkey! I just lost 2 7-week old turkeys to what I believe was blackhead disease, but it didn't look anything like that. I had trouble finding good turkey info out there too. I'll let you know if I come across any good sites.

If he's eating and drinking and walking around, whew! That's great news. Sorry I couldn't be more help, but it looks like he will pull through. Good luck and keep us posted!


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## bonbean01 (Aug 3, 2012)

Any update?  Have been wondering how this fellow is doing.


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Aug 3, 2012)

ever thought of black head? His head IS black..

Don't know, but hope he recovers  we usually dont keep more then one turkey past hormone age so they usually arent beat up by themselves!


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 3, 2012)

*Haha it's not blackhead... blackhead disease doesn't actually turn the turkeys heads black, AND they don't develop it in 12 hours. He was beat up by the other turkeys.


He is doing better, the swelling is almost down all the way and he is up and walking around calling to the other turkeys because he wants to be with them. He still isn't eating yet, but is drinking so I am still syringe feeding him. A lot of bruising and the other turkeys won't leave him alone so I have him separated which makes him sad, he really wants to be with his flock so I put his 'quarantine' cage right next to the coop so he can still see them. I think he'll be ok as long as he doesn't get an infection.*


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Aug 4, 2012)

WhiteMountainsRanch said:
			
		

> *Haha it's not blackhead... blackhead disease doesn't actually turn the turkeys heads black, AND they don't develop it in 12 hours. He was beat up by the other turkeys.
> 
> 
> He is doing better, the swelling is almost down all the way and he is up and walking around calling to the other turkeys because he wants to be with them. He still isn't eating yet, but is drinking so I am still syringe feeding him. A lot of bruising and the other turkeys won't leave him alone so I have him separated which makes him sad, he really wants to be with his flock so I put his 'quarantine' cage right next to the coop so he can still see them. I think he'll be ok as long as he doesn't get an infection.*


Oh, it doesnt?  Wow, and we house our turkeys with our chickens all the time and never had a case  (knock on wood) , i think it dies up here? 

OK what DOES black head do?!

Glad hes doing OK!


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## Bridgemoof (Aug 4, 2012)

Blackhead:
http://www.millerhatcheries.com/Information/Diseases/blackhead_disease.htm

_Blackhead disease, or more correctly, histomoniasis, is primarily a disease of young turkeys. Chickens are more resistant to the effects of the infection but may act as carriers of the disease-causing organism. Histomoniasis is caused by a microscopic protozoan called Histomonas Meleagridis. The name blackhead is a poor descriptive term because the heads of the birds infected with this parasite are not dark. The protozoan causes considerable damage to the liver and ceca of infected turkeys, and the untreated birds usually die.

It is most often transmitted to turkeys in the eggs of a second parasite, the cecal worm, commonly found in both chickens and turkeys. The eggs of the cecal worm may remain infective in the soil for three years of longer and could transmit the blackhead-causing protozoan during this period.

Signs

A decrease in feed consumption and loss of weight may be the first signs observed. Sick birds appear dull and depressed, and often stand by themselves with dropping trails, ruffled feathers, and a sleepy appearance. Sulphur colored yellow droppings may be observed. _

My young turkeys that were raised here from day old, died at about 7 weeks. I then bought some older turkeys that were already about 7 weeks and they are now about 9 weeks. I'm hoping that they will survive.  My younger turkeys exhibited the above symptoms and in about 2 days they died. It was sad. If these turkeys don't make it, I guess I can't have turkeys at all because my chickens free-range all over the place.


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## Sugarbushdraft (Aug 4, 2012)

Oh, OK, thanks for telling 

We house our chickens with turkeys but the turkey thinks hes a goat  He eats willow bark if the goats are (more or less, lol), fire weed, minereal block but the goats just softly head butt him off  Poor turkey goaty, LOL


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