Content
Despite the seriousness of infectious diseases, the main problem for turkey owners is not disease, but a phenomenon known as “falling on its feet.” You can protect yourself from infections if you take a responsible approach to purchasing turkey poults and eggs, and also follow the rules of hygiene.
“Falling on his feet” actually looks like the turkey’s inability to move freely on straight legs. Turkey poults of broiler breeds are especially susceptible to this, which they try to raise in much the same way as broiler chickens, that is, in a limited space with plentiful feeding for rapid weight gain.
But turkeys are not chickens. Turkeys were destined by nature to travel long distances in search of food, being not the largest birds on the planet. The breeding of heavy broiler breeds of turkeys has led to problems with the growth of the tubular bones of the legs of turkey poults. And the correct development of tubular bones in a turkey poult is impossible without constant movement.
The need for walking turkeys
Actually, the main reason why turkeys fall on their feet is precisely the lack of walking for turkey poults.After all, when owning more than a dozen birds of a very large breed, private owners usually do not think that turkeys will require a walking area of 200 m² or more. On a standard plot of 6 - 10 acres, which usually also houses a vegetable garden, utility rooms and a residential building.
And many take turkey poults under a hundred heads, of which ten live well up to 6 months.
Why is a cramped pen for turkey poults bad?
In the absence of a spacious range, turkeys are forced to spend most of their time sitting. For growing turkey chicks, such a pastime is fatal.
At this time, turkey poults not only grow tubular bones, but also develop tendons. If a turkey chick sits and sits without running anywhere, the flexor tendons stop working and stop developing, and, consequently, increasing in length. As a result, contracture develops, that is, shortening of the tendon. With a short tendon, the joint cannot work and straighten fully. A turkey poult develops crooked legs, and the owners ask “how to treat it.”
Contractures have almost no treatment. The matter can be corrected only in the initial stages by long-term walking of turkey poults, which no one can provide for meat poultry.
In the absence of proper walking, contractures continue to develop, and the turkey chick begins to move with difficulty. Falls become very common. It becomes more and more difficult for a turkey chick to get up after another fall every day, and a turkey chick can fall from the slightest unevenness on the ground or, in general, out of the blue.
Often such turkey poults fall while trying to get to the feed. Since it is difficult for them to get up, the turkey chick begins to malnourish.The result is exhaustion and death from starvation. The best option would be to slaughter such a turkey.
Walking as prevention. Treatment of leg diseases in turkey poults
The second mistake of Russian summer residents is the desire to raise a hefty turkey weighing 25 kg, as they say on the websites. Firstly, the sites are reprinted from English-language sources, where the weight of six-month-old turkeys is indicated in pounds. That is, in fact, even a broiler turkey raised by professionals on industrial farms weighs at most 10–12 kg in six months. Which is also a lot. Such Christmas turkeys are not in demand in the West. Consumers prefer carcasses weighing 3–5 kg. The manufacturer slaughters broiler turkeys at 2–3 months, when there are no problems with legs yet or they are just beginning. Thanks to early slaughter, large producers have the opportunity to keep turkeys in crowded conditions.
Secondly, in order to avoid problems with the spread of infections and stress during crowded housing, the manufacturer widely uses medications that private owners try not to use.
The results are not encouraging. It is usually difficult for private owners raise broiler turkeys for meat. Smaller egg breeds of turkeys are better suited for keeping in a private backyard.
Sunbathing for turkey poults
Another serious argument in favor of long-term walking of turkey poults is the need to receive ultraviolet radiation.
All reference books indicate that the temperature in the brooder should be at least 30 ° C for freshly hatched turkey poults, gradually decreasing to 20 - 25 degrees.This is usually achieved using infrared lamps and forgetting that these lamps heat only the surface, not the air. Only later can the air in the brooder warm up from the heated surface.
But without ventilation, turkey poults will suffocate, and ventilation is new cold air. Hence the opinion about colds from drafts.
At the same time, having taken care of the heat, no one thinks about ultraviolet radiation, keeping turkey poults only under an infrared lamp for up to a month or more. Just at a time when turkey poults vitally need ultraviolet radiation to produce vitamin D, without which calcium cannot be absorbed.
This is another secret that a large turkey meat producer is in no hurry to share with private owners. The photo clearly shows that in addition to ordinary fluorescent lamps, infrared and ultraviolet emitters are also built into the ceiling.
The turkey chick's legs begin to bend while still in the brooder, but due to the small live weight, they temporarily support the weight of the bird. When the turkey chick gains more muscle mass, he will sit on his legs, which can no longer support his owner.
They do this instinctively. Moreover, not only birds, but also mammals take such sunbathing. Having collected the required dose of ultraviolet radiation, the animals begin to hide in the shadows.
If everything is usually clear with mammals, then a bird is quite capable of scaring the owner. Birds usually bask in the sun (at a temperature of 50°C on the ground) in the classic pose of a sick individual: they lie, ruffled, with their beaks buried in the ground.But unlike sick birds, when you try to approach them, they quickly jump up and, muttering curses, run away from the person to the opposite corner.
Thus, even with a balanced feed, two factors: lack of walking and ultraviolet radiation can already lead to improper development of limbs in turkey poults.
The third factor that can affect the legs of turkeys, regardless of infectious diseases: feed.
The influence of feed and the relationship of microelements and vitamins
A responsible manufacturer develops a feed formula individually for each area and age of poultry. There are manufacturers who do not rack their brains over bird food formulas. Private owners who prefer to feed turkeys with their own food, also without laboratory analysis, cannot take into account whether all the necessary elements are present in the food for their birds.
In a living organism, all factors are interconnected. In an attempt to reduce the cost of keeping turkeys, owners often feed the birds large amounts of bran. The calcium needed by turkey poults is absorbed only at a certain proportion of calcium to phosphorus. When the amount of phosphorus is exceeded, calcium begins to be washed out of the bones of turkey poults. This is exactly what happens when there is an excess of bran in the feed.
Calcium cannot be absorbed without manganese. If the manganese content in the feed is insufficient, it is useless to give feed chalk to turkey poults.
Trying to prevent rickets and not being able to provide turkey poults with adequate walking, owners add vitamin D₃ to the turkeys’ diet. Typically in the form of fish oil. But excess D₃ does not prevent rickets, but promotes the deposition of calcium on the walls of blood vessels.
Excess fat in the diet, especially of animal origin, leads to acute inflammation of the joints: arthritis. Unable to stand due to pain, turkeys sit down.
The lack of essential amino acids disrupts metabolic processes in the body of turkeys and also interferes with the normal absorption of nutrients, minerals and trace elements.
Problems with the legs of turkey poults that depend on feed do not appear immediately, since the feed still contains a certain amount of necessary elements. If rickets “comes out” at 1-2 months, then “feeding” problems will appear only at 3-4 months.
Curvature of the legs of turkey poults at 4 months
All these nuances are provided in professional bird feeds produced by a responsible manufacturer.
Mechanical causes of falling on feet
A turkey may prefer to sit still if the turkey's paw pads are damaged by mechanical objects or due to wet bedding. The liquid, mixed with caustic excrement, quickly eats away the skin on the turkey's foot pads. It is painful to walk on bare meat, so the turkey limits its mobility.
Prevention measures in this case are simple: compliance with the rules of veterinary hygiene and timely change of litter. Of course, you should check to see if rainwater is flooding your turkey barn.
Although the above reasons are often the main ones in turkeys, they turkey diseases, in which the bird falls on its feet, are not limited.The turkey poult also sits on its feet in case of certain infectious diseases that cause inflammation of the limbs.
Infectious diseases of turkeys, their signs and treatment
There are 4 main diseases in which turkeys cannot stand on their feet: postnatal pullorosis in broilers, Newcastle disease, infectious bursitis of chickens, Marek's disease.
Postnatal pullorosis
Leg problems are observed only in broiler turkey breeds in cases of chronic and subacute disease. In poults of meat crosses, pullorosis causes inflammation of the joints. Because of the pain, the turkey poults cannot stand and sit down.
There is no treatment for pullorosis; therefore, if symptoms indicate this disease, the bird is destroyed.
Newcastle disease
In addition to the respiratory and digestive systems, ND also affects the nervous system.
The manifestation of symptoms of damage to the nervous system occurs in the subacute form of the course: increased excitability, impaired coordination, paralysis, paresis, difficulty breathing.
With paresis, turkeys can sit on their legs, their necks are often twisted, and their wings and tail droop.
Turkeys with Marek's disease are immediately destroyed, since treatment is impractical and has not been developed.
Infectious bursitis of chickens
A highly contagious disease of chickens and turkeys, which leaves the bird no chance to live, since treatment for the disease has not been developed. With bursitis, the bursa of Fabricius, joints and intestines become inflamed. Intramuscular hemorrhages, diarrhea, and kidney damage also appear.
One of the symptoms of infectious bursitis at the initial stage is damage to the nervous system, when the turkey has trouble standing on its feet, falls or sits on its feet. You should not try to treat turkeys; treatment for this disease has not been developed. All sick turkeys are slaughtered immediately.
Marek's disease
Turkeys also suffer from this disease. This is a tumor disease, but in the chronic course of the classical form it manifests itself as a nervous syndrome, the symptoms of which will be: paralysis, paresis, lameness. The disease is fatal; no treatment has been developed.
Conclusion
For the most part, turkey owners are not at risk for turkey leg diseases if turkey poults have had the opportunity to walk for a long time since childhood and eat high-quality feed. The experience of turkey owners who have kept these birds for many years shows that even week-old turkey poults released for walking, contrary to claims, do not suffer from colds and grow up with healthy legs. True, turkey poults should not be allowed to roam completely freely. Cats can steal even one and a half month old turkey poults.
