Should I separate a small sleepy poult from the rest?

[SkagitSlag]

Hi there!
I have 6 chocolate poults, 1 bourbon and then 4 Wyandotte chicks in a brooder together. They are about 2 weeks old. Everyone is healthy, except for 1 chocolate poult. It’s pretty lethargic and small compared to the others. I put it in a separate brooder yesterday with some sugar/electrolyte water, a yolk to jump start appetite and some food. It seemed to perk up a little, but was still pretty lethargic.
I know turkeys are pretty social, and after a few hours I put it back with the rest of the flock. It seemed ok, but mostly tries to stay out of everyone’s way bc of its size.
My question is, would it be better to keep it separate? Or would the lack of company maybe cause more stress? Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

 

[Smileybans]

I’m going to preface this with I know nothing about raising turkeys. But when I have a sick chick I try to keep it within the brooder but separated by fencing. That way I can keep an eye on the chick but the chick still gets socialization without the stress of being trampled. If you think the separation isn’t going well, even through fencing, put the baby back with its friends.

I had a chick die on me recently because I tried too hard to help it. The chick got depressed, even though it could see it’s friends, and stopped eating. By the end of the first day of not eating it was too late. I hand fed the baby but nothing had worked. So use your best judgement when separating.

 

[SkagitSlag]

I’m going to preface this with I know nothing about raising turkeys. But when I have a sick chick I try to keep it within the brooder but separated by fencing. That way I can keep an eye on the chick but the chick still gets socialization without the stress of being trampled. If you think the separation isn’t going well, even through fencing, put the baby back with its friends.

I had a chick die on me recently because I tried too hard to help it. The chick got depressed, even though it could see it’s friends, and stopped eating. By the end of the first day of not eating it was too late. I hand fed the baby but nothing had worked. So use your best judgement when separating.

Thank you for the advice! I did end up separating it but it didn’t make it through the night. Sometimes you just look at a turkey poult wrong and it doesn’t make it. They are so fragile!

 

[Smileybans]

Sorry your poult didn’t make it. Are they really that fragile, that being separated hurt it, or do you think it was something else? I know with my chick it was a combination of both.

 

[SkagitSlag]

Sorry your poult didn’t make it. Are they really that fragile, that being separated hurt it, or do you think it was something else? I know with my chick it was a combination of both.

This is my second time raising turkeys. They seem to be so temperamental. I’ve found there are very specific factors that come into play (brooder temp, water temp, etc.). In this case I don’t think that the separation was the cause of death (although the extra stress may have been a factor.). I just know turkeys are almost like puppies, they like to be social and around their “pack.” Sorry about your chick! Sometimes raising these critters is a real heartbreak. It’s definitely teaching my 3 year old about the fragility of life!