Purdue News

December 20, 1991 Turkey Feeding Method Could Help Bird Farmer WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – Sometimes a turkey's legs don't grow right. The turkey has trouble getting to the feeder or to water. It gets weak. And sometimes, because of the natural pecking order turkeys follow, a downed bird is a dead bird. No turkey farmer wants to see leg abnormalities, says Patricia Hester, a Purdue University poultry specialist. Deformed birds that do survive the market often are condemned or downgraded because of emaciation or the injuries inflicted by their brethren. Scientists believe birds that eat less protein build up their skeletons first and strengthen leg bones. Hester, who specializes in feed and growth research, already has shown that reducing protein in young turkeys' diets results in fewer leg distortions. Feed with lower amounts of the soymeal protein also costs less. After early development, Hester returns the protein allowance to normal levels. This causes the turkey to increase body weight in a quick spurt. Hester calls it compensatory growth. But while the turkey's weight catches up with its peers' weight by market time, its breast weight is not comparable. It's close, within three quarters of a pound, but not close enough, Hester says. "The breast is the most valuable part of a turkey," she says. "The difference may not seem like much until you multiply it by 50,000 turkeys." She did an economic analysis to see if the savings realized by fewer condemned birds and reduced feed costs would offset the loss in breast yield. It didn't. Hester returned to the lab to fine-tune the feeding regimen. Now she's testing three different levels of reduced protein in the early diet and going back to normal levels sooner, to give the turkeys more time for compensatory growth before market. Meanwhile, she's tracking leg abnormalities. The experiment will be over in March. Hester is optimistic she will see fewer deformities than in the control group and hopes for near-equal breast weight following the extended period of compensatory growth. "The potential benefits are that more turkeys will make it to market and feed costs to the farmer will be lower," Hester says. "It also improves the welfare of the turkey at no expense to the grower." The project is supported by a cross-section of private and public interests. Funding was provided by Purdue University Crossroads 1990, industry's Turkey Marketing Development Council and the Indiana Value-Added Center. The turkey poults for the experiment were donated by Cuddy Farms. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu