Reproductive failure in local turkey populationfor second year in a row!

Something is definitely not right in my neck of the woods (north end of WMU 75, south end of 60 from Lindsay up to Minden). This is the second year in a row that I'm seeing almost complete reproductive failure in our turkeys. The norm was to be seeing lots of lone adult hens with trailing poults by late June. I drive between Fenelon and Lindsay for work and I'd usually see lots of poults during my travels. I have not seen a single hen with a brood this summer. Same as last year - now seeing adult hens in groups of 2-4 birds and they are all barren. Time to contact MNR and see if they are even aware of what's going on. It's not predation. We had good breeding activity. Cold, wet spring is not a factor. Temperatures have been ridiculous since late May, so can it be heat stress killing the chicks after hatch? West Nile killing everything after they hatch? Neonics ? (not sure if this can be factored in because I'm seeing no reproduction in areas where there is no agricultural influence and birds would not be exposed to cash crop fields, etc). If this keeps up there's going to be no huntable population in five years. How are things in the rest of turkey Ontario? Are you folks seeing the same disturbing thing?

Dave

What’s your raccoon population. It exploded here this year shot one so much mange looked like a poodle

Good crop of turkey poults here maybe more than last or the crop rotation just seeing more

I think the reality is that its sometimes very difficult to see poults with hens from May to September anyways.
Due to their size the hen keeps them pretty well hidden in forested areas for awhile to cut down on avian attackers.
It may be just coincidence, I don't know.
I've seen hens in very small groups this summer but I always assume that not all hens breed successfully anyways.
I guess time will tell as the winter approaches and they flock up.

We don't have a huge turkey population here, just a few miles east of the Soo, but it's expanding. Coincidentally, I just saw a hen with 4 poults today. Havent seen that around here yet till today?

I euthanized two sick turkeys by my house last winter and they were sent to Guelph OVC for testing . The CO told me they were diagnosed as having avian pox. Sounds like these birds could have had LPVD (lymphoproliferative viral disease) . Apparently 66% of Ontario tested birds (based on Phd paper from Guelph in 2017) carry the virus now. Infected adults exhibit the same "elephant man" tumour lesions on their head, caruncles, just like poxed birds. Apparently you have to do PCR tests to confirm the virus over pox. Its a problem in turkeys south of the border and appears tgo affect young poults more than adult birds. Wondering if this is the culprit in my area. Not looking good for the birds in my area.

I personally don't see many turkeys in the summer. I was out talking with the farmer who lets me hunt his property yesterday, he was telling me he had a hen and at least 7 little ones the other day up by the house in his garden.

I'm in the Smiths Falls area, and I didn't see 1 jake this season, so I assume last year the poult hatch was seriously crippled by all the rain we had. For reference I saw 6 toms and 3 hens, while hunting this spring and would normally see more jakes than anything else.

Ive seen more poults this summer in Muskoka then I think I ever have.

I'm seeing lots in the PTBO area. Saw a hen this morning with at least a dozen.

S.

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Originally Posted by Sinker

I'm seeing lots in the PTBO area. Saw a hen this morning with at least a dozen.

S.

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x2. Dodging multiple groups of hens and poults heading to and from work everyday last couple weeks. Just took them some time to come out of the woods.

More grain and hay being cut now too so you can see them better. Seen lots along hwy 7 yesterday in a few spots.

I have been seeing good numbers of turkeys including poults while out scouting for geese the last 2 weeks.

Saw a hen and probably a dozen poults yesterday. They were about the size of a partridge, but no problem flying. First turkeys i've seen this summer.old243