Awareness and understanding that we can have an impact that actually attributes to the break-down of the overall health of our own birds in our areas where we live is crucial to the survival of the true wild turkey.We have as this article clearly states have had in the past in this general area where I live,have had exactly those "well intentioned individuals" who have unknowingly raised or let pen raised wild birds go into the wild and lived for 2 or 3 years and dissapear!This is why........

Diseases and the wild turkey

Of all the variables affecting wild turkey populations — predators, habitat quality, weather — disease is the most difficult to factor

By
Dr. James Earl Kennamer
National Wild Turkey Federation


Wild turkeys face the challenge of survival every second. The egg, from the time its laid through incubation, faces six weeks of threat from raccoons, skunks, snakes, coyotes and crows, just to name a few. Poults, after hatching until they are able to fly, spend two weeks hiding from owls, hawks, raccoons, coyotes and many other wild animals looking for an easy meal.

With proper habitat, however, wild turkey populations can readily withstand predation pressures. Their high reproductive rate is a safeguard against the uncertainty of nest and poult survival. Still, even after they are able to fly, poults remain vulnerable to predators, weather, diseases and accidents.

Of all variables that affect wild turkey populations, disease is most difficult to factor. Many diseases either directly kill a turkey or make it more susceptible to predation, which means the evidence of disease is often never detected; therefore, it is usually difficult to determine the impact of disease on local wild turkey populations. Here are some of the most common and devastating diseases that affect wild turkey populations.

Avian pox

Avian pox is a common disease that is passed, primarily by mosquitoes, from one wild turkey to another. Some birds carry the disease without suffering debilitating affects; other birds die from it.

Avian pox is most often reported in eastern states, but has been reported in other regions.

Birds with avian pox often have wart-like growths or scabs on their head. Other birds have growths in the throat or mouth. The severity of the disease depends on the location of the growths.

If they are in the mouth or throat, the growths can keep the bird from feeding and make breathing difficult. Scabs on a bird's head can partially or completely blind the bird by forcing the eyes shut, which obviously decreases its chance of surviving. Birds with avian pox generally act normal, but if you harvest a bird suffering avian pox, the disease is readily apparent.

Blackhead

Histomoniasis, more commonly known as blackhead, is found primarily in the moist, warm southern states.

The disease organism lives in the digestive tract of a small roundworm, and infected birds pass it in their droppings. Other birds can contract the disease from the droppings or from earthworms that feed on the droppings.

Wild turkeys with blackhead may appear lethargic and often stand with drooped wings and ruffled feathers. Droppings of infected birds often appear sulfur-yellow in color. It is not known how many birds get blackhead, but if infected, mortality is 100 percent.

One of the easiest ways for wild turkeys to pick up blackhead is from domestic chickens, turkeys, or other poultry, which are often immune to the disease. Research funded by the NWTF has shown that chicken litter from broilers is not harmful but litter from laying or brood flocks may be contaminated and pose a threat to wild birds.

Aflatoxins

Aflatoxins are produced by a fungus that commonly grows on grains, particularly corn.

The fungus produces toxin levels that are usually highest during drought years. Invisible to the naked eye, the fungus can invade a crop in the field, but usually occurs in higher, more dangerous levels when the grain is stored in warm, moist conditions.

Under laboratory settings, young turkeys fed on aflatoxin-contaminated grain suffered death. Research funded by the NWTF showed that low levels of aflatoxins would probably not be harmful to ruminant animals like cattle or deer.

Feed stores often sell "deer corn," which may be a lower grade of feed corn than the FDA allows for farm animals because of its potential threat to livestock and humans. Some research has found excessive levels of aflatoxin in deer corn.

It is difficult to document the impact aflatoxins have on wild turkey populations, but waterfowl that fed on contaminated grains resulted in thousands of birds being killed in Texas. Aflatoxins appear to have the greatest impact on bird species and the young of many other animals.

Pen-raised turkeys

For a couple of reasons, pen-raised turkeys released into the wild pose a threat to wild turkeys.

First, pen-raised birds suffer various communicable diseases and parasites that debilitate wild turkeys.

Second, pen-raised birds do not have the natural instincts and communication skills to survive in the wild — a trait that waters down the wariness of wild turkeys when interbreeding occurs.

In the first half of the 20th century, wildlife biologists tried restoring wild turkey populations by releasing pen-raised birds. None of the efforts paid off simply because pen-raised birds, even of wild descent, are incapable of succeeding in the wild. Only when biologists learned to capture and transfer wild turkeys, did wild turkey restoration efforts become successful.

Today, well-intentioned people still release pen-raised birds into the wild, which is not only illegal in most states but a bad wildlife management practice in every state.

In one study, undercover conservation agents bought so-called wild turkeys from breeders in 12 states. Each bird was destroyed and carefully studied for diseases. The results showed that some birds were clean, but other birds carried serious diseases that could have undone years of hard work by state wildlife agencies and NWTF volunteers.

Conclusion

Wild turkeys are susceptible to numerous diseases, but are not impacted on a large scale unless we create artificial conditions, such as spreading contaminated deer corn, spreading chicken litter or releasing pen-raised birds.

If we keep domestic birds and contaminated feed from wild birds, the potential for widespread impact from disease can be greatly reduced. We can also provide quality habitat. If we do those two things, we can assume the sound of gobbling in the wild will be with us now and in the future.

Good post Bob.

Another good post Bob. Thanks.

Putting this back on the front page.