Feed Management in Turkey Birds: Feeding Plan, Feed Formula, and Feed Requirement

Along with chicken and duck, turkey occupies a prominent position on the food chain. In addition to being essential to the most evolving sector, Guinea fowl and quail significantly contribute to multiple populations’ economic and nutritional well-being. They make up almost two percent of the total poultry population. Their meat is the leanest of all domestic avian species since they are bred purely for meat.

It is necessary to provide several different rations for the turkeys during their production cycle to meet their needs and minimize costs since toms (male turkeys) grow over 1 kg per week and hens (female turkeys) around 0.6 kg per week. Feed programs with 5-7 or more different feeds are fed for 2-4 weeks each. Turkeys’ growth and development determine the duration of each feed (hens or toms). In the event their weights are below the goal, they can be fed an earlier feed for a longer period to encourage possible compensatory growth.

Feed Management in Turkey Birds

Feed Cost and Consumption

Around two-thirds of the production cost is attributed to feed. The cost of turkey feed is determined by its main ingredients – corn, soybean meal, and fat. A starter and finisher diet contains 47-69% corn, 35-18% soybean meal, and 3-6% fat. Corn and soybean meals comprise 82-87% of ingredients in commercial turkey feeds. A trypsin inhibitor found in soybeans is detrimental to the growth of young turkeys but is destroyed by heating.

The amount of urease in soybeans determines the degree of processing. Urease is also destroyed by heating. Soybeans with high potassium levels are likely to cause diarrhea when consumed in an all-vegetable diet. Depending on the density of the diet, the feed conversion ratio varies. Turkeys consume food to meet their energy needs. Protein, especially essential amino acids, should be balanced with energy in turkey diets to meet their needs.

Toms and light hens fed typical commercial diets have feed conversion ratios of 2.0-2.2 and 2.6-2.8, respectively. The approximate feed consumption for light hens, heavy hens, and toms at 14, 18, and 20 weeks is 19.1 kg, 28.4 kg, and 50.2 kg, respectively. Productivity measures include average daily gain, cost per production unit, and breast meat yield. Below are tables summarizing target weights, feed consumption, and conversion ratios.

Weekly Target Weights, Feed Consumption, Feed Conversion Ratios, and Average Daily Gain for Commercial Hen (Female) Turkeys

Week	Weight (kg)	Feed (kg)	Conv. Ratio
1	0.16	0.19	1.17
2	0.34	0.42	1.22
3	0.68	0.88	1.3
4	1.09	1.46	1.34
5	1.61	2.29	1.42
6	2.25	3.36	1.49
7	2.99	4.69	1.57
8	3.8	6.19	1.63
9	4.68	7.94	1.7
10	5.55	9.91	1.79
11	6.45	12.16	1.88
12	7.35	14.42	1.96
13	8.2	16.76	2.04
14	8.99	19.07	2.12
15	9.7	21.38	2.2
16	10.38	23.75	2.29
17	10.95	26.01	2.37
18	11.46	28.42	2.48
19	11.93	30.78	2.58
20	12.38	33.24	2.69

Weekly Target Weights, Feed Consumption, Feed Conversion Ratios, and Average Daily Gain for Commercial Tom (Male) Turkeys

Week	Weight (kg)	Feed (kg)	Conv. Ratio
1	0.16	0.17	1.06
2	0.34	0.39	1.13
3	0.71	0.86	1.2
4	1.27	1.61	1.26
5	2	2.64	1.32
6	2.88	3.93	1.37
7	3.86	5.56	1.44
8	4.96	7.45	1.5
9	6.13	9.66	1.57
10	7.4	12.17	1.64
11	8.7	14.91	1.71
12	10.03	17.98	1.79
13	11.38	21.33	1.87
14	12.73	24.86	1.95
15	14.08	28.58	2.03
16	15.39	32.58	2.12
17	16.66	36.76	2.21
18	17.9	41.12	2.3
19	19.1	45.65	2.39
20	20.26	50.18	2.48
21	21.35	54.97	2.57
22	22.38	59.91	2.68

Age and Genderwise Nutritional Requirements

The essential amino acids methionine and lysine are especially important to young turkeys. It is necessary to provide ten amino acids in the diet to prevent growth restrictions. Three amino acids are restricted in diets: lysine, methionine, and threonine. Adding synthetic methionine and lysine to diets supplements what is found in feed ingredients.

In addition to linoleic acid, water- and fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals, linoleic acid is also essential. High heat can destroy B vitamins during pelleting, resulting in foot deformities, footpad (plantar) dermatitis, and poor feathering in turkeys. The specific nutrient(s) involved in spontaneous fractures of leg bones have yet to be identified in early diets.

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Compared to young turkeys, older turkeys require higher energy levels, often provided through a higher-fat diet. Fat is treated with antioxidants to prevent rancidity. A peroxide test can determine rancidity. The protein content of different feeds declines during production while the energy content increases. Both hens and toms receive the same feeds, but the duration of each feed varies. A typical commercial turkey feeding program using an 8-diet program is presented in the following table.

Diet	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Hens (female turkey) weeks fed	0-4	4-6	6-8	8-10	10-12	12-14	14-16	16-20
Toms (male turkey), weeks fed	0-4	4-6	6-9	9-12	12-14	14-16	16-19	19-22
*Protein %**	27.5	26	23.5	21.5	19.5	18	17	16
ME; kcal/lb	1293	1338	1383	1452	1580	1576	1597	1610
ME; kcal/kg	2850	2950	3050	3200	3325	3475	3520	3550
Lysine %	1.62	1.49	1.39	1.25	1.07	0.98	0.89	0.8
Methionine	0.65	0.59	0.53	0.47	0.41	0.41	0.38	0.38
Methionine & cysteine %	1.05	0.96	0.9	0.81	0.71	0.68	0.66	0.63
Calcium %	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.2	1.1	1	1	0.9
Phosphorus %	0.75	0.75	0.65	0.6	0.55	0.5	0.5	0.45

Feed and Water Intake

Temperature affects the amount of feed consumed. It increases when temperatures are below the turkey’s comfort zone 10-16°C and decreases when temperatures are higher. These consumption differences are often accounted for differently in summer and winter rations. Amino acid levels in the rations must be adequate, so the composition of these rations is adjusted accordingly. Temperatures between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius are ideal for feed conversion.

The consumption of feed and the growth of animals require water. Adequate water must be provided for the age of the turkeys, just as it is with feeders. If they do not have water, turkeys will not eat. As a rule of thumb, turkeys consume twice as much water as they do feed, e.g., two liters of water per kilogram of feed, but in reality, this relationship is highly variable. In comparison to hens, toms consume more water.

Cool, potable water must be available. During the early stages of the disease, water consumption increases dramatically with increasing ambient temperature, feed ingredients, especially sodium, and crude protein. A water meter can be useful for identifying the early signs of a problem by measuring water consumption daily. The following table shows approximate water consumption by age and gender.

Estimated Weekly Water Consumption (in liters) per 1000 Commercial Hen and Tom Turkeys at 20-25°C.

Age (week)	Hens (female Turkey)	Toms (male Turkey)
1	385	385
2	690	750
3	930	1135
4	1274	1650
5	1750	2240
6	2150	2870
7	2640	3460
8	3180	4020
9	3900	4670
10	4400	5345
11	4620	5850
12	4660	6220
13	4680	6480
14	4700	6680
15	4720	6800
16	4740	6920
17	4760	6960
18	–	7000
19	–	7020
20	–	7040

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Conclusion

You can make or break your business based on your turkey-feeding decisions. Many people make the mistake of feeding chicken feed to their turkeys, despite turkeys requiring much more protein than chickens. They will not only be unable to grow to their full potential, but they will also be more susceptible to diseases due to a weakened immune system. Therefore, you should feed turkeys specially formulated feeds. Starting, growing, and finishing are the stages of turkey feed.

Feed Management in Turkey Birds: Feeding Plan, Feed Formula, and Feed Requirement