Turkey disease on the increase in younger birds

Vets are reporting an increased incidence of a potentially devastating disease in younger turkeys.

Known as Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT), the respiratory disease causes sneezing, coughing and air sac lesions. In the worst cases, it can result in death.

“It is not so bad in chickens. You see it sometimes in game birds, but it really seems to get into turkeys and cause them problems,” said Claire Knott of Crowshall Veterinary Services, Attleborough, Norfolk.

“We used to see it only in older birds – about 10-12 weeks plus,” she told a meeting of the Anglian Turkey Association at Prested Hall, Essex. “But now we are seeing it increasingly in the breeding stage under eight weeks.”

ORT could cause nasty air sac lesions in younger birds, said Ms Knott. More worringly, in older birds it could cause lameness, swollen hock joints and abscesses in the tendons, ultimately requiring culling.

“Some of the hocks can become as big as a tennis ball – it can be a really painful condition.” But the disease was treatable and a vaccine was available for breeding birds. “If you catch it early, you can sort it out,” she said.