Deceased Turkeys

[Nicolle Martin]

Birders, does anyone have any insight into what might cause one hen, one jennie or jake and one tom to die on the same property/same day in a residential neighborhood? The tom was found face-down in the open space behind my neighbor’s home and the other two were on her driveway in different spots. No evidence of being preyed on or blood. A large flock passed through her front yard/driveway and she saw them on her Ring camera, but she didn’t see anything unusual. They were making a lot of noise while passing through. Our neighborhood is relatively close to the Quarry fire, but not close enough to be evacuated. I’m hoping the experts in this group might have a plausible explanation, as it’s pretty unsettling! 

Nicolle Martin 

Ken Caryl/Littleton 

[M T]

First thing that you need to do is examine what the time frame was. Did the deaths occur within the same time frame or was it spaced out over a few days. You would then need to get a close look at the carcasses and examine for signs of trauma, like being shot or hit by a vehicle. If it appears that it was sudden death with no signs of trauma, then avian influenza comes to mind. Wild Turkeys can be particularly vulnerable to HPAI.

The more time that has elapsed since they died, the more difficult it becomes to get an idea as to the cause of death.

Michael C Tincher

Loveland, CO

[Deborah Carstensen]

If there’s a question about whether avian flu was the cause of death for these birds, it would be important to wear gloves and a mask while examining them and then use careful personal hygiene afterwards. 

Deb Carstensen, Arapahoe county 

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 6, 2024, at 7:40 AM, M T <raptord...@gmail.com> wrote:

First thing that you need to do is examine what the time frame was. Did the deaths occur within the same time frame or was it spaced out over a few days. You would then need to get a close look at the carcasses and examine for signs of trauma, like being shot or hit by a vehicle. If it appears that it was sudden death with no signs of trauma, then avian influenza comes to mind. Wild Turkeys can be particularly vulnerable to HPAI.

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[Megan Jones Patterson]

Nicolle,
Ingestion of poison (pellet rat poisons, slug poisons, etc) may also be a cause. There are also some non-native, ornamental plants that are toxic. I know this can be a cause of death for domestic poultry and I see no reason it may not also apply to Wild Turkey in a residential area. 

I do not know how this would be diagnosed but it is a possibility.  

Megan

Boulder County, CO

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