The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Cjnewton82 on September 04, 2014, 11:07:25 am

Title: Random turkey death.
Post by: Cjnewton82 on September 04, 2014, 11:07:25 am

I'm raising 11turkeys for Xmas. This morning for no reason that u can see one of my bigger turkeys was dead for no reason I could see. Plucked him to look at his skin nothing unusual about his skin any ideas?
Thax

Title: Re: Random turkey death.
Post by: Marches Farmer on September 04, 2014, 11:16:27 am

How old?  We find with both chickens and turkeys they sometimes just stop growing somewhere between 3 and 16 weeks of age, although appearing entirely healthy otherwise, and then we just find them dead one morning.  We put this down to a genetic defect (most probably heart) that the bird could sustain while it was small but with all the organs under strain due to the fast growth stage, the body can't sustain the problem any longer.  If it happened to one or two other birds I'd get worried but with just one, not.

Title: Re: Random turkey death.
Post by: Cjnewton82 on September 04, 2014, 04:10:31 pm

He was just under 15weeks old. I will keep a eye out on the others if any others die it's all out panic time lol!!! hopefully tho this is just a one off. Thank you

Title: Re: Random turkey death.
Post by: HesterF on September 04, 2014, 10:24:15 pm

Could it be blackhead?

Title: Re: Random turkey death.
Post by: Clansman on September 05, 2014, 10:09:51 am

Sometimes just as with any young growing organism they just die without any disease or illness involved, its natural selection at work.

You can see it better in large commercial flocks of thousands of birds, there are a few birds die every day.