Raising turkeys at home can present a number of challenges. Young animals can suffer from various diseases accompanied by diarrhea. By this sign, you can determine the disease in advance, before a doctor makes a diagnosis. Let's look at the signs of diarrhea in 2-month-old turkeys, as well as treatment with medications and folk remedies.
Causes of the disease depending on color
A change in the normal color of the droppings indicates a digestive disorder, as does a change in its consistency; in this case, it becomes liquid. By the color of the diarrhea, you can determine what caused the problem. It could be an infection, helminths, protozoa.
Yellow
Bright yellow stool may indicate Newcastle disease. Yellow and green discharge may be due to mycoplasmosis. With Newcastle disease, turkey poults become lethargic, fall on their feet, and have a fever. Inflammation of the respiratory tract is noted, the birds cough, and foamy exudate is released from the nose. Chicks experience muscle cramps and head tilting. Without treatment, death from exhaustion occurs. There is no cure for Newcastle disease; affected livestock are destroyed and disposed of.
Symptoms of mycoplasmosis, in addition to yellow-green diarrhea, include refusal to eat, inactivity, and the development of respiratory problems. The disease in young animals is acute and often ends in the death of the bird.
Green
Green, foamy diarrhea in turkey poults may be a sign of colibacillosis. The disease manifests itself in damage not only to the gastrointestinal tract, but also to the lungs, liver, joints, and heart. Colibacillosis can kill a third of young animals. Symptoms: liquid droppings, refusal to eat, thirst, blue beak, inflammation of the periorbital tissues, damage to the respiratory tract.
Mustard color
This specific color of feces in 2-month-old turkeys occurs due to histomonosis. The protozoa infects the liver of birds. Histomoniasis in turkeys at 2 months it develops acutely. They refuse food, hardly drink, do not move, and have seizures. The stool is foamy, mustard colored and smells unpleasant.
A characteristic sign, in addition to diarrhea, is swelling and darkening of the skin on the head of turkey poults.Infection with histomoniasis can reach 100%; treatment is possible only at the initial stage. Poultry mortality from histomonosis is high.
Brown
If, apart from brown droppings, there are no alarming symptoms (the bird is active, eats normally, there are no changes in behavior), then this is most likely food poisoning from inappropriate food. But if the stool is liquid and contains blood, this may be a sign of coccidiosis. Symptoms of coccidiosis: birds become thirsty, turkeys develop foamy exudate from their noses, and conjunctivitis develops.
White
Light-colored stool is a sign of salmonellosis or paratyphoid fever. These are bacterial infectious diseases that can destroy the entire population of 2-month-old turkeys. With salmonellosis and paratyphoid fever, the stools are white, foamy, and foul-smelling. These signs make it easy to identify the disease.
Black
Diarrhea acquires a black color due to severe intoxication of the body. This is the result of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and bleeding. The black color of stool comes from blood that mixes with stool. In case of intoxication, it is necessary to take emergency measures to save turkey poults: remove toxins from the body.
Associated symptoms of diarrhea
Diarrhea in 2-month-old turkeys is accompanied by various symptoms, the totality of which can identify diseases or disorders. General signs: refusal to eat, increased water consumption, depression, apathy. Day-old turkey poults and older ones lose activity, sit, ruffled, lower their wings, and close their eyes. Liquid stool causes the feathers around the cloaca to become dirty. In sick birds, the temperature changes: it either rises or falls.
Infectious diseases may cause damage to the respiratory tract, nasal discharge, and inflammation of the conjunctiva. The turkey poults suffer from convulsions and fall to their feet.
Rules for treating diarrhea in turkeys at home
Before starting treatment, you need to establish the cause of diarrhea, what caused the disorder: poisoning or pathogens. Further actions will depend on this.
Medicines
Bacterial infections can be treated with antibacterial medications. Broad-spectrum medications are prescribed to destroy pathogens of various types. Treatment of viral diseases is more complex, so it is necessary to vaccinate the bird on time. You can give turkeys drugs such as Metronidazole. This antibacterial and antiparasitic medicine may be effective against histomoniasis, trichomoniasis and coccidiosis. Turkeys need to be given the drug for 10 days, 3 times a day. Metronidazole is also used for prevention. The drug "Avimentronide" has a similar effect.
Soldering can be done with Levomycetin, Chlortetracycline, Biomycin, Trimerazin. Enteroseptol is used to treat intestinal disorders; it is given for 10-15 days in a row. This is just an example of drugs; you cannot treat diarrhea and diseases on your own. The veterinarian must select the medicine. Uncontrolled use can worsen the situation.
Folk remedies
Diarrhea in young turkeys can be treated with chamomile or nettle infusion, liquid rice porridge, wormwood infusion, and a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Unlike medications, which can have side effects, folk remedies are completely safe.But we must remember that they are often ineffective for serious diseases of turkeys; you should not rely on them alone.
Diet and care for birds after recovery
Diarrhea in turkeys caused by food poisoning is treated with a starvation diet that lasts 1 day. Water is given ad libitum. Then they give the usual food, but without high-calorie and fatty foods, greens.
After antibacterial therapy, it is necessary to restore the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. 2-month-old turkeys are given vitamin preparations “Chiktonik”, “Trivitamin”, “Ganasupervit”, “Nutriselen”. For 2 weeks after recovery, you need to monitor the condition of the turkey poults, protect them from stress (do not change your place of residence or transport them unnecessarily). Remove bedding, clean feeders and drinking bowls so that they do not become a breeding ground for pathogens.
If, after the measures taken, the health of the turkeys has improved, the diarrhea has stopped, and the feces have acquired a normal consistency and color, we can assume that the disease is over.
Prevention measures
Infections appear on a farm with new residents, so you need to purchase poultry from trusted farms. But do not place newcomers with the flock, but leave them in quarantine for 2 weeks. Raise young turkeys separately from adults, since adult birds are more resistant to infections, and their symptoms appear later than in turkey poults.
Cleaning and disinfecting the premises, replacing the bedding as soon as it begins to become dirty are the main preventive measures. In a clean poultry house, infections affect the flock much less frequently. It is necessary to limit the contact of turkeys with rodents and insects that can carry pathogens.
Turkey chicks need to be fed high-quality food and given clean water to drink. Clean and disinfect feeders and drinkers, and prevent food from souring in them.They must be placed at such a height that birds do not climb into them with their feet: bacteria often enter the gastrointestinal tract with food or water contaminated with droppings. It is recommended to work with poultry in work clothes and shoes that are not used anywhere else. This is necessary to prevent the transfer of pathogens into the poultry house from the street.
Even if diarrhea is not associated with bacterial infection, it greatly depletes the bird's body and can lead to death. By the color of the stool and consistency, you can determine what is causing the disorder. And, based on this, decide on treatment with traditional methods or medications, or on treatment with a starvation diet.
