turkey lurkeys

i have been anxiety-ridden about this little baby turkey. i've been calling him (her?) horton. this one looked the same as the others when i brought them home, but then it became obvious that he couldn't walk. even though he eats and drinks well, he hasn't grown - unlike the other four, who are so big now that i had to put horton in his own box because his sibs were starting to trample on him.


i know that chicks don't always make it, but i have become so attached to this little struggling baby. he is chugging along determinedly, and he will even whistle back and forth with you. he moves around, but just by sort of waddling with his wings.

so today we went to the vet - i wasn't expecting much and i felt a bit ridiculous since i'm surrounded by farmers, but it was very encouraging. the vet thought that he had some developmental problem - maybe from some sort of chemical or toxin that affected his equilibrium. he said he might never be normal but that he didn't seem on the brink of death, not at all, and there was no obvious injury or infection. he suggested changing his feed to some mashed corn and weigh him every day and track it for a week. today he was just over 3 oz.

this is one of his bigger brothers or sisters - at just under 7 oz, almost twice as heavy today as horton.

i need four more unisex turkey names - anyone have suggestions? i've been so focused on horton that i still can't tell the other four apart. i really, really hope the little one starts to thrive and they can all move out from under the heat lamp and strut around in the yard together in a few weeks.