Feeding young breeding turkeys is a matter of supplying a growing ration
in the fall and early in the winter, a laying ration late in the winter
and in the spring, and a maintenance ration during the summer. Unless
breeders are to be kept over for another year, they should be marketed,
if possible, about June 1 in order to reduce feed costs and to aid in
preventing the spread of blackhead and other diseases that may affect
adult turkeys during the summer. If breeders are to be held over for
the next season or until fall and if a good summer and fall range is
available well away from the growing stock, the breeders are best carried
through the summer on a daily feeding of whole grain such as a mixture of
equal parts of corn, oats, and wheat. This mixture should be fed at the
rate of one-fifth pound per hen daily as a supplement to feed obtained
from the range. The toms, if ranged with the hens, should have access to
grain in a feeder too high for the hens to reach. A better method is to
pen the toms in a separate range lot and give them each one-half pound of
grain daily in troughs.
Breeding stock so managed during the summer respond economically to a
fattening diet offered in the fall. Beginning about 4 weeks before they
are to be marketed, usually early in October, the birds may be offered
all they will eat daily of the grain mixture. Within 4 weeks they will
acquire a fine finish and make a gain in weight of 2-1/2 pounds or more
per hen and 4 pounds or more per tom. About 5-3/4 pounds of grain per
pound of gain is required for the 4-week fattening period. A little
better finish is acquired in 6 weeks; but the grade is not improved, and
the gains are more expensive. Breeding stock that are to be kept over
should be held in the range lots as long as possible and should also be
fed liberally in the fall, in order to put them in good condition for the
winter.
Later in the fall and through the winter the rations for breeders,
especially young breeders, may be the same as the growing rations
normally fed to young stock. Scratch grain and a simple mash, such as
that suggested for growing poults, make a good feed for carrying the
breeders through the winter, since they meet the demands of the birds for
continued growth or for maintenance. If the climate is such that green
feed and sunshine are not available, as in the Northern States, add 5
percent of alfalfa-leaf meal and 1 percent of cod-liver oil to the mash.
The birds should have all the mash and scratch they will eat during the
fall and winter. Breeders will not become too fat if fed in accordance
with this method. They will be fat, but this is desirable if heavy egg
production is expected.
For the production of large numbers of hatchable eggs turkeys require
a ration containing the various nutrients and vitamins. Good results
can be obtained with a simple laying ration, such as laying mixture No.
1, if the birds get an abundance of fresh green feed and have range.
When ground oats or ground barley is included in any mixture it should
be finely ground. Alfalfa leaf meal should be bright green in color.
The cod-liver oil should be a standard good-quality product, or the
equivalent in fortified cod-liver oil may be used if thoroughly mixed.
_Laying Mixture No. 1_
MASH _Parts by | SCRATCH
weight_ |
|
Yellow corn or barley (ground) 20 | Mixture of equal parts of
Wheat middlings or ground wheat 15 | yellow corn, wheat, and
Oats or barley (ground) 20 | heavy oats. (Grain sorghum
Meat scrap (50- to 55-percent | may be used in place of the
protein) 10 | corn.)
Fish meal (60- to 70-percent protein) 10 |
Wheat bran 12 |
Ground oystershell or limestone 7 |
Dried milk 5 |
Salt (fine, sifted) 1 |
--- |
Total 100 |
Laying mash should be kept before the birds at all times beginning
about a month before eggs are expected. Scratch mixture should be fed
in troughs, at the rate of one-fifth of a pound per day per bird, so
that the consumption during laying will be about equal parts of the mash
and scratch. The birds must have access to growing green feed, direct
sunshine, and water.
If the birds cannot obtain fresh succulent green feed and direct sunshine
in abundance, as in the case of those kept in confinement or in cold
climates, the ration must be more inclusive. Such a ration may be
compounded as follows:
_Laying Mixture No. 2_
MASH _Parts by | SCRATCH _Parts by
weight_ | weight_
|
Yellow corn or barley (ground) 26 | Yellow corn or grain
Wheat middlings or ground wheat 20 | sorghum 40
Wheat bran 12 | Heavy oats 37-1/2
Alfalfa leaf meal 10 | Wheat 20
Meat scrap (50- to 55-percent | Cod-liver oil 2-1/2
protein) 8 | -------
Dried milk 8 | Total 100
Fish meal (60- to 70-percent |
protein) 8 |
Ground oystershell or limestone 7 |
Salt (fine, sifted) 1 |
--- |
Total 100 |
As with the simpler ration, the mash should be kept before the birds at
all times, and the scratch can be hand-fed in troughs at the rate of
one-fifth of a pound per bird per day. Clean water should be provided
at all times. The same ingredients can be mixed and fed as an all-mash
ration with good results. The all-mash formula is as follows:
_Laying Mixture No. 3 (All-mash feed)_
_Parts by | _Parts by
weight_ | weight_
|
Yellow corn (coarsely ground) 30 | Dried milk 5
Oats (finely ground) 20 | Fish meal (60- to
Wheat middlings (standard or brown) 21 | 70-percent protein) 3
Wheat bran 6 | Ground oystershell or
Alfalfa leaf meal 5 | limestone 4
Meat scrap (50- to 55-percent | Cod-liver oil 1-1/4
protein) 4 | Salt (fine, sifted) 3/4
| -------
| Total 100
This all-mash mixture is kept before the breeders at all times. Just
enough to carry the birds through each day should be given. In this way
its freshness is assured, an important consideration in all-mash feeding.
If desired, the oyster shell or limestone may be fed separately in
hoppers, but mixing it in the mash saves labor and prevents excessive
consumption. Gravel or granite grit should be provided to furnish
grinding material. Clean water, placed in contamination-proof vessels,
should be provided at all times. Alfalfa hay probably cannot be depended
upon to supply adequate amounts of green-feed substitute for hatching-egg
production. Only by fresh green feed or green-feed substitutes and fish
oils can those requirements be met. The oil should be freshly mixed in
the feed every week or two.
All feed should be fed in feeders, never on the ground or in the litter.
Feeders should be constructed so as to prevent waste and contamination
with droppings. Turkey hens consume a little less than one-half pound
of mash and scratch grain per day when practically all of their feed is
furnished. Toms consume about 0.7 pound daily; eating mostly scratch
grains.