# turkey poults w/ angel wing?



## Welshmom (Sep 7, 2008)

Can turkey poults get 'Angel Wing'? I have some week old poults, and a few of them have wings on one side that seem to be sticking out a bit. Not at a 90 degree angle, maybe more like a 20 or 30 degree angle. 
I used to raise ducks, so this reminded me of angel wing. 
Anyone have any idea why their wings/feathers might be sticking out like this? It's only on one side in each of them. Are they growing too fast? Should I lower the protein level in their food? 
I am mixing my own food, as I couldnt find any non-medicated with the 26 or 28% protein. So it wouldn't be hard for me to lower their protein levels.
They are getting some greens as well.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Your protein levels are way too low. Can you find gamebird feed? Do you have anything else that has protein, like meat scraps, fish scraps, organ meats, milk replacer or old eggs?


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## Welshmom (Sep 7, 2008)

Thanks for responding.
This is the feed I mixed myself, so I definitely may have gotten it wrong. I had a bag of roasted soybeans, and ground them myself. I added 6 parts soybeans to 5 parts of my fresh hog grower mix, which was 16%, and of course already contained soybeans. I got this ration by using the Pearson square, though it seemed very high on the soybeans to me. I checked the salt levels agains recc. levels, and it was in the same range. Perhaps the vitamins are off?
I tried but could not find game bird starter, it was my first choice. I didn't want to go with medication if I could help it, thus the home mix. 
I do have some frozen beef liver I saved for my broilers, I can certainly give some to my poults. I also have beef suet - think a little bit of that would help as well?


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

They are too young for the suet, but the liver works well. Animal protein is more easily utilized by the birds than veggie protein.

The problem with grinding your own soy beans is that you are not removing the fat so your protein % is not as high as the soy normally used in animal feed which has been defatted.


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## Welshmom (Sep 7, 2008)

Ah! Thank you, I didn't know that about the fat in the beans!
They now have liver in front of them, but they seem scared of it at this point, lol. I remember the first time feeding it to my broilers, and I thought they'd never catch on, they totally ignored it. I left them and came back an hour or so later to check on them, and it was....._gone!_ I mean, like it had been beamed up somewhere, totally disappeared without a trace as if it had never been there! I guess they figured it out, and they devoured it like madmen. Hope my poults do the same with it.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

They will, just give them time.


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## Hildymarie (Aug 16, 2009)

what is 'angel wing'?


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

In waterfowl it means a twisted wing tip so the feathers stick out to the side instead of laying flat. It seems to be genetic, but high protein feed seems to make it worse.

In turkeys, chickens, guineas and such birds, it means the protein levels are inadequate. The feathers continue to grow, but the body of the young bird is not keeping up. The wing feathers tend to project beyond the back of the bird and don't lay smoothly.


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