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Abstract
1. A field experiment was conducted to identify the macroscopic and histological changes associated with the development of foot pad dermatitis (FPD) in growing turkeys. Two affected and two unaffected turkeys were sampled weekly from 1 to 8 and at 10 and 21 weeks of age.
2. At one week old, birds with external signs of FPD (surface skin discolouration) showed abnormal cellular changes of the foot pad integument. As the flock aged the reactions intensified, with one sample exhibiting a fully developed macroscopic lesion at 3 weeks.
3. Major pathological changes had occurred by 6 weeks and all turkeys with external signs of lesions had fully developed microscopic inflammatory cellular lesions. From 6 weeks of age onwards lesions were increasingly numerous and became more overtly necrotic.
4. Externally normal foot pads showed microscopic evidence of lesions after the turkeys reached 4 weeks.
5. We conclude that FPD lesions become severe over a short period of time and at a very early age.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the technicians at the Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Edinburgh, for assistance with slide preparation and digital photography; Dr Andrew Milligan for the photography of the foot pads on the farms as well as help with sample preparation; and farm staff at the various commercial sites from which the turkey foot pad samples were collected. The Turkey Sector Group of the British Poultry Council provided a studentship to the first author. The Roslin Institute is supported by the BBSRC.