What to do if turkey poults fall to their feet

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Very often turkeys fall to their feet. This is especially true for heavyweight broiler breeds. This can be due to various reasons. Consider what may be causing the fall to your feet, how to help the birds at home, and when you should seek help from a doctor.

If the chicks fall to their feet

Reasons for the fall of turkey poults on their feet

Conventionally, all the reasons leading to the fall of turkey poults on their feet can be divided into 2 groups:

• inadequate care conditions;
• illness.

Let's consider each group of reasons separately.

Inappropriate care conditions

To the content of turkey poults there are certain requirements. We will not talk about them now. But, failure to comply with these requirements will certainly lead to health problems. The turkey is quite heavy. In order for the limbs to develop correctly, he needs to walk, even if it is about broiler breedsthat are fattened for meat. Accordingly, there should be sufficient space in the house. It is also necessary to equip a spacious aviary. Turkeys are not suitable for cage keeping.

Turkeys can also fall to their feet if they do not receive all the necessary nutrients. We must add mineral additives to the mash (chalk, fish and meat and bone meal, chopped greens, etc.). Do not forget that from time to time you need to give the birds vitamins. Calcium deficiency affects especially negatively the development of bones. Make sure that birds receive this trace element in the right quantities.

Another reason for the fall of turkey poults on their feet is not known to all poultry breeders. Excessive fat can kill birds. Therefore, do not overuse corn and natural soybeans. Also, beware of foods high in vitamin A and high protein foods. The diet must be balanced and well thought out.

Diseases

Many diseases cause the bird to fall to its feet. Turkey poults are especially susceptible to diseases in the first months of life. Therefore, during this period, carefully monitor them. Newcastle disease, typhus, synovitis, arthritis and rheumatism lead to falls on the feet. Sometimes diseases lead to the fact that the legs of turkey poults begin to twist.

It is very important to take timely treatment. If we are talking about an infectious disease, then it will quickly spread and will come to the mass death of the livestock.

Sometimes the most common injuries sustained are the cause of falling to your feet. in the process of a fight... Poultry can get such injuries even if the poultry house is poorly equipped. In the manufacture of all wooden elements, the boards must be well sanded. All floorboards, despite the fact that they are covered with a layer of straw, must be smooth and even.

Sometimes in birds the limbs are dispersed, which leads to their fall. the reason for this is poor health, and in particular weak ligaments, from birth. If the turkeys used for breeding are lacking in nutrients, then you should not expect strong and healthy offspring.

Determine the cause of falling to your feet

Before thinking about how to treat the chicks, you need to determine why they fell to their feet. Maybe drug treatment is not needed. To understand whether illness or poor conditions of detention was the cause of this phenomenon, observe the behavior of the birds. Sick birds are not suitable for feeders and drinkers. They have an untidy appearance, feathers stick together. Also, sluggish behavior distinguishes sick birds from healthy ones.

If the bird, despite the ailment, behaves actively and eats with pleasure, and the main problem is only that the Turkeys are on their feet, then the reason lies in the improper conditions of detention. Review the guidelines for turkey house size. Or maybe the fact is that the chicks do not have enough food. There should be enough feeders in the house so that there is no crowding around them during feeding. Well, if the reason is not in violation of maintenance standards, then make adjustments to the diet.

Regardless of what caused the disease, isolate weak chicks from healthy ones. After they are back on their feet, move them to the shared house. Until then, Turkey must receive enhanced nutrition and vitamin supplements.

Symptoms of diseases leading to falling to feet

Before you know how to treat a sick livestock, you need to determine the disease. The easiest way is to contact a specialist who, after examination, will make a diagnosis. But this is not always possible. Therefore, you need to navigate at least the main diseases. We will consider what signs appear in the most common diseases, and tell you what causes these diseases.

Arthritis

This disease is quite common. It is characterized by curvature of the limbs and enlargement of the joints. Also, over time, birds lose their appetite, and they become lethargic. But, in fact, the only sign of the disease is that the limbs are bent. The rest appear in the absence of treatment and are caused by the pain that the bird experiences. If left untreated, the poults stop walking and eventually die. This ailment is not contagious. Accordingly, all livestock will not get sick.

the cause of arthritis is the excessive consumption of protein foods. Accordingly, prevention is reduced exclusively to proper bird nutrition.

Newcastle disease

The disease starts from poor care

It is an infectious disease. Accordingly, it is transmitted from one individual to another. In this case, the disease is transmitted very quickly. Therefore, symptoms begin to appear in almost all young animals at the same time. In addition to leg weakness, which is the main symptom of the disease, chicks have diarrhea... Feces with this disease have an extremely unpleasant odor. In addition to problems with the digestive tract, there is a loss of appetite and lethargy. In turkey poults, the goiter increases in size, the wings become immobile.

the cause of this disease is non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards. Prevention of Newcastle disease is pest control in the poultry house, which must be done at least once every 2 years. Also remember to keep your feeders and drinkers clean. Unfortunately, today there are no medications for this disease.

Typhoid

This ailment is infectious. Accordingly, like Newcastle disease, it is dangerous for all livestock in the poultry house. A symptom of typhoid is a hesitant gait.When walking, turkey poults stagger from side to side, moving at a slow pace. Also, symptoms of typhoid are loss of appetite and lethargy.

the disease is dangerous, and in most cases is fatal. The surviving birds are carriers of the infection. Meat and eggs of these birds should not be eaten. To prevent typhoid, you need to get vaccinated.

Rheumatism

Like arthritis, rheumatism is caused by a person's negligence. Cold and dampness is the reason for the development of rheumatism. At the initial stage of the disease in birds, painful sensations appear while walking. Accordingly, his gait becomes unnatural, he often sits down on the floor. If untreated, rheumatism is fatal.

Prevention of rheumatism is to maintain a normal temperature regime in the room (not lower than 150C for adults and 250C for young animals).

Respiratory mycoplasmosis

This disease is caused by microorganisms. If the turkey has no problems with immunity, then it resists these microorganisms without any problems. With weak immunity, the bird begins to hurt. Respiratory mycoplasmosis is transmitted by airborne droplets. As a rule, young animals are ill with it.

First of all, the eyes begin to turn red, and nasal discharge appears. Then, a cough appears, the plumage begins to look untidy, the legs swell, the appetite disappears, after which, if left untreated, the legs fail and the eyes close.

The prevention of the disease is vaccination of young animals. Also, do not forget to give birds vitamin complexes to maintain immunity.

Synovitis

Another non-communicable disease that is not transmitted from one bird to another. During synovitis in turkey poults, the joints become inflamed. Symptoms of synovitis include lethargy and pallor of the skin folds in the neck. During the illness, the legs swell in the area of ​​the joints. At the initial stage of the disease, the chicks limp, after which they completely fall to their feet. At an advanced stage of the disease, diarrhea may appear.

The prevention of synovitis is good nutrition and normal living conditions.

If possible, seek the advice of a doctor. Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish one disease from another.

We treat diseases of turkey poults at home

If you find out why the turkeys fall to their feet, you need to start some action. First of all, we place sick turkeys in a separate cage. If we are talking about infectious diseases, then it needs to be moved to a separate room, and completely isolated not only from turkeys, but also from all other birds and animals that are on the farm.

After isolation, the turkeys that fall to their feet are provided with enhanced nutrition. At the same time, it should be strengthened not by increasing the portion, but by changing the composition. In addition to food, it is necessary to provide sick birds with good living conditions. And, if necessary, we give the patients medications. In the absence of a response to treatment of patients turkey poults are slaughtered.

Treatment of specific diseases

• In case of arthritis of fallen turkey poults, it is advisable to drink anti-inflammatory drugs. In addition to medicines, we give the birds vitamin complexes. The body of a turkey especially needs vitamins D, A and B during arthritis. Be sure to add bone meal and chopped greens, boiled eggs to the mash. As soon as the bird recovers, we remove the eggs from the diet. During the preparation of the mash, we use yogurt or reverse. In addition to the feeder, we put containers with crushed chalk and shell rock in the poultry house. Additionally, you can supply a container with coal. Every day we take the sick turkey outside. During a walk, he can be left in an aviary with healthy birds.
• With Newcastle disease, you need to act with lightning speed. We isolate and slaughter sick individuals. We provide healthy turkeys with enhanced nutrition.It will not be superfluous to disinfect the house.
• Synovitis needs to be treated with medication. You can use biomycin or streptomycin.
• Respiratory mycoplasmosis with antibiotics. After the cure of the livestock, we must carry out pest control in the poultry house.

When diarrhea appears, it will not be superfluous drink turkey poults with metronidazole... It must be given in accordance with the instructions. It is worth noting that many diseases in turkeys are treated with metronidazole. Therefore, you should always keep it close at hand.

Homemade folk remedies are ineffective. In addition, most ailments develop quickly. Therefore, if the legs of the livestock are swollen, there is no need to spend on experiments.

Preventive measures

In order not to think about why the turkey poults began to fall to their feet, it is enough to adhere to a few simple rules. First of all, create a normal house environment. The greatest danger to turkeys is dampness. Therefore, you need to ventilate the house at least every other day and make sure that the litter is dry. In summer, we ventilate the house every day.

Don't forget about vaccination. There is a schedule according to which small turkeys are vaccinated against Newcastle disease. They do this twice: on the 15th and 22nd days of life. Also, as a prophylaxis in the first months of life, turkey poults are drunk with broad-spectrum antibiotics. But this must also be done according to the schedule.

Nutrition plays an important role. It is difficult to prepare a balanced mash on your own. Therefore, it is advisable in the first months of life to give the birds factory compound feed intended for young animals.

Conclusion

We figured out why turkey poults twist their legs, and what needs to be done about it. In order to diagnose the disease in a timely manner, you need to monitor the pets. If at least one leg is swollen, quarantine the turkey. Also pay attention to the turkey if he gets up and sits down too often. Do not delay treatment. As a rule, after both legs have refused, it is impossible to save the birds.