A Face To The Wall


When animals refuse their favourite tidbit, you know that they are ill.
When turkeys refuse their favourite tidbit, they are seriously ill.
It's an " all or nothing " thing where these strange birds are concerned

Yesterday I noticed that Bingley looked somewhat " droopy" . I offered him some  corn from my hand, but he just slowly turned his head away and the appropriated bowl  of wet cat food from the kitchen window sill,  which normally would have sent him into a mini frenzy of excitement , seemed to illicit the same response.
It wasn't a good sign.

I checked around , but thankfully couldn't see the telltale yellow poo signs of blackhead infection, ( an infection which is invariable fatal to turkeys) so I dug some baytril antibiotic out and gave him a dose  to cover him generally for any other potential infection., and then left him to it.
The rest would be up to Mother Nature.

This morning, he's still not eating and I noticed that he's started to  turn his head to the wall.
Turning a head to the wall is a term I give to animals that are giving up.
I have him another dose of antibiotics and syringed some sugar water into him.
He didn't protest and just watched me carefully with his huge black eyes after I had let him go.

A minute later he turned his head back to the wall, and I reluctantly left him  to sink or swim as the sun warmed away the "nearly frost" of last night's cold snap on the field.





49 comments:

  1. Come on Bingley, don't give up.
    It was cold last night, feels suddenly very autumnal.

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  2. Gosh I know thaphelpless feeling, John. All you can do is put him in an house tonight and give him some hay and hope mother nature gives him that fight to live. I hate it when our livestock become world weary. Nature is so beautiful and yet so cruel.

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  3. Poor fella, hope he rallies. I've just dropped my puss Pendragon off at the vet for a deep grooming under sedation, as she won't let us get near her fur with any grooming tools. Her fur has become matted (she's a British Shorthair, but has masses of fur), so it has to be done. Just as i left the vets she said "of course any sedation carries a risk!". I gave a big gulp and left. Hopefully the antibiotics will help Bingley feel better.

    Jean
    x

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    1. Got to do the same for Alfie the Dog as his teeth need attention, he's nearly eleven so it is a bit scary.
      Hope all went well.
      x

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  4. i will be holding my breath for you and Bingley.......

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  5. It happens, it is right that it happens. And it hurts like hell. Hoping he rallies - for you both.

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  6. :-(

    not a good way to start the week, old chap. thinking of bingley...

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  7. The best care anywhere -

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  8. Poor Bingley. I hope the second shot has some effect, but once they decide to give up there's not a lot you can do.

    Let's hope for a really sunny afternoon down your way, sometimes a bask in the sun makes the world look a more enticing prospect.

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  9. So hard when you don't know the what's and why's....Thinking of him and hope for the turnaround. Poor fella.

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  10. Poor Bingley! x
    How old is he and how old do turkeys live to? Assuming anyone knows because of the culling for food peeps..........

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    1. He's well over 5 ..nearly 6
      Turkeys live anything from 2 to 7 or 8 so he's doing well

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  11. It's only a few weeks to Thanksgiving..if I were a turkey,I'd give up the ghost too.
    Jane x

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  12. Unlike most of your followers I don't have any pets in my home.
    I'm ashamed to admit I can't handle losing them.
    The first time I heard my late father cry was when he found our childhood "mutt" gone. Missy was our constant companion growing up.
    I hope Bingley survives this crisis but if not that he passes peacefully.
    Best to you, John.
    Leslie

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    1. Im with you Leslie. I cant bare the thought that if they are hurt they cant tell me what is wrong. Poor Bingley.

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  14. You and the turkey made me tear up. Damn hormones of mine. Best of luck to you either way it goes.

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  15. I didn't know that facing a wall was a sign with animals. A couple of months ago my cat (she had been ill for a long time) started facing the wall while sitting in her basket. It was that which convinced me her time had come.

    Hoping Bingley rallies.

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  16. Is he an old fellow? I've seen "facing the wall" syndrome, too. It's sad, waiting it out.

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  17. An old turkey lived next door to me and I thought he was about to die for ten years. He finally has but he sure hung on for a long time. My neighbors had adopted him because he was a problem to his former owners- he had killed several turkey hens with his over-zealous sex drive. Yikes!
    I find that in keeping fowl, I have to be a bit distanced from them. I mean, I name them, I love them in my way, but I know they are going to eventually die or be killed by predators. It's hard. But still a joy when they are healthy and happy.

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  18. Anonymous1:58 pm

    How old is Bingely? Poor thing...I hope he comes around for you.

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  19. How long does a turkey live? Perhaps he's pining for the fjords...

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  20. Oh John, how sa.d That;s the trouble with birds - they are either alive and thriving or they are dying - like sheep they seem to have no inbetween. Do hope he lives to fight another day.

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    1. I love this comment. Yes, they are either alive or dead.

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  21. Sorry to hear this, John. That is what I was wondering. How long have you had Bingley? Ten to twelve years is considered long for a turkey.
    Hope he gets better, John. *hugs*

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  22. It's interesting how humans and animals have different responses to impending end of life. Humans tend to want company; to not be alone. Animals seem to want to be alone, and often hide.

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  23. I'm already feeling grief. So sad - but while there's still some hope......

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  24. I do hope he makes it but yes the facing the wall is a bad sign :(

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  25. Poor soul...hope he finds the strength to fight it. Man flu?

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  26. Oh poor old chap. Yes, I've observed this behaviour in many animals, with my dog, when really sick, she faces a corner. Any corner.

    XO
    WWW

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  27. Oh dear. Hang in there you two.

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  28. Poor Bingley and poor you, it's not easy caring for a sick or elderly animal especially at a 'stage of life'. Here's hoping he turns away from the wall and towards you instead.
    much love
    susan
    x

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  29. Oh no, John...reading this broke my heart. :(

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  30. Anonymous4:49 pm

    Oh no.... :(

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  31. Turkeys, I am told, cannot be reared around other fowl because of illness and disease. We raised ours up at the house away from the chickens, but both have leg issues. One old timer told me to put a few drops of iodine in their drinking water each day to keep diseases at bay and change it daily. They are dicey but my favorite fowl.

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    1. You have to be careful with chickens because of the afore mentioned blackhead infection..... But if you worm them regularly things should be ok

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    2. The importance of worming! One of our dogs had a dreadful cough which was getting worse to the point of making her sick. The vet was convinced that she had something wedged in her windpipe and was talking about putting her under to investigate. During the appointment I asked for worm tablets as both dogs were due to be wormed. Three days later the cough had disappeared. I jokingly said to the vet that they must have been pretty powerful wormers to get rid of that cough. 'Lung worm' she said. The dog clearly had eaten something containing lung worm which burrows into the lungs of the animal making it cough!

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  32. Sigh. Thinking of you both. This is the hard part of life.

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  33. Keeping animals is a mixture of joy and sorrow. Mostly joy but it sounds like another dose of sorrow is around the corner.

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  34. Poor Bingly, Poor John. :(

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  35. If he is still with you tomorrow, how about a tonic ? I use apple cider vinegar, garlic and honey and it sometimes helps the chickens.
    Thinking of you both
    Gill

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  36. At times like this you wish they could talk.

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  37. Oh no! He's my favorite bird! Get well, Bingley.

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  38. The joys and heartbreaks of animal ownership, eh. One damn thing after another. Best wishes and good luck to Bingley, John. And to you of course.

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  39. Every once in a while, one of the semi-wild/semi-habituated turkeys roaming the fields and woodlands of my preserve will show up with blackhead. I've read that the bird can survive the disease if its eyes and/or trachea don't swell shut, but I've never followed the course of the illness in one bird. Infected birds are shunned (justifiably and often forcefully) by other members of the flock, so they probably die alone (sad for a gregarious animal) or picked off by a predator.

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  40. Egg, then life, and then (perhaps on a platter, but hopefully not) old age. Hope this isn't the end of life's adventures.

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