Couch, J. R.

Creger, C. R.

Quisenberry, J. H.

Texas A&amp;M Repository

L-596FEEDING TURKEY BREEDERSC. R. Creger, W. O. CawJey and W. F. Krueger*The turk~y breeder should receive nutritionallyadequate feed for at least 3 weeks before egg produc-tion begins. Hatchability of turkey eggs is extremelysensitive to diet fortification with vitamins and miner-als. Avoid excessive medication since many drugs havedepressing effects on fertility and hatchability of tur-key eggs. Never give medication to turkey breedersunless recommended by a qualified serviceman or vet-erinarian. Poor fertility and low hatchability during thelatter part of the turkey laying season are still consid-ered serious problems. They can be caused by genet-ics, diet, bird and egg mismanagement or a combina-tion of these. This leaflet deals with the nutrition andmanagement of feeding turkey breeders in and out ofseason.IN-SEASON BIRDSFeed breeder hens so they will weigh approxi-mately 18 pounds at 27 to 28 weeks ofage, dependingon the size of the particular strain. At 18 weeks of agehens should weigh approximately 14 pounds. To reach18 pounds at 27 to 28 weeks, place the hens on aholding ration containing approximately 15 percentprotein at 18 weeks of age and feed this ration until 3weeks before laying starts.The hen should receive 15 hours oflight per day for3 weeks before the start of egg production. From thetime the first egg is laid it takes only about 10 to 14 daysfor the hens to peak at approximately 70 to 78 percent.Birds should peak within 2 weeks after egg productionbegins.*Respectively, professor. Texas Agricultural Experiment Sta-tion, Departments of Poultry Science and Biochemistry andBiophysics; poultry specialist, Texas Agricultural ExtensionService; and professor and head. Department of POUltry Sci-ence, The Texas A&M University System.27.9Feed hens a diet containing 18 percent protein atthe time they are lighted. Keep them on this diet untilpeak production occurs. Then change to a diet contain-ing 19 percent protein. As the weather becomes pro-gressively warmer, place the birds on a diet containing21 percent protein. This increase in protein with asubsequent decrease in energy levels is necessary asthe birds tend to eat less when temperatures rise.OUT-OF-SEASON BIRDSFeed out-of-season breeder hens so they will weighapproximately 15 pounds at 19 weeks ofage. Place thebirds in a dark house with 6 to 9 hours oflight per daydepending on the type ofdark house. While in the darkhouse, feed a diet containing 18 percent protein for-tified with vitamins and minerals.Birds should gain approximately lh pound perweek while in the dark house. It is essential that asample ofhens be weighed weekly to ascertain properweight gain. The birds should be in the dark houses forapproximately 6 to 8 weeks and should weigh 18 to 19pounds at 25 to 27 weeks ofage, at which time the birdsshould be given 14 to 15 hours oflight per day depend-ing on outside day length. The number of hours oflight which the breeder hens receive should never de-crease.Hens should be placed on a 20 percent protein dietat 25 weeks ofage. Feed this diet until peak productionis reached. At this point, place the birds on a dietcontaining 21 percent protein for 3 weeks and thenincrease the protein level to 22 or 23 percent, depend-ing on outside temperature.Lower the ration's energy levels as the proteincontent of the diet increases during warmer months.Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The Texas A&M University System. Daniel C. Pfannstiel, Director. College StationDIETSDiets included in table 1 are examples of qualityingredients for a breeder hen ration. Protein leveladjustments can be made depending on stage of pro-duction and temperatures.VITAMINSFeed the turkey breeder a diet with adequatevitamins and minerals before egg production begins.The hen will then come into production with anadequate storage of these nutrients, which are essen-tial for maximum hatchability and fertility. Thevitamin levels suggested for a turkey breeder diet on aper ton basis are: 18 million IU of vitamin A, 4 millionleU of vitamin D3, 40,000 IU ofvitamin E, 2 grams ofvitamin K, 6 grams ofriboflavin, 50 grams ofniacin, 16grams of d-calcium-pantothenate, 1,000 grams ofcholine chloride, 40 milligrams of vitamin B12, 500milligrams of biotin and 2 grams of folic acid. Formixing convenience, incorporate the above amountsinto a 10-pound package so that one package can beadded to each ton of diet.v]Table 1. Turkey breeder hen formulas18% protein 19% turkey 22% turkeydark house breeder hen breeder henIngredient ration ration rationIbs/ton Ibs/ton Ibs/tonYellow corn 500.00 500.00 500.00Sorghum grain 917.75 717.25 553.25Soybean meal (44%) 375.00 445.00 610.00Fish meal (60%) 100.00 100.00 100.00Dehydrated alfalfameal (17%) 50.00 100.00 100.00Oyster shell flour(38% Ca) 10.00 90.00 90.00Defluorinated rockphosphate 30.00 30.00 30.00Salt 4.00 4.00 4.00DL-methionine (98%) 2.00 2.50 1.50Manganese sulfate 0.75 0.75 0.75ZnS04 0.50 0.50 0.50Vitamin mix 10.00 10.00 10.00% protein 18.00 19.00 22.00Calories (ME/lb) 1,338.00 1,250.00 1,210.00% methionine 0.47 0.45 0.45%Ca 1.00 2.75 2.75% P (total) 0.75 0.73 0.80Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people ofall ages regardless ofsocio-economic levels, race,color, sex, religion or national origin.Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, The Texas A&M University System and the United States Department ofAgriculture cooperating. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, and June 30, 1914.l!2M-9-76, R vision PS 5-2

Feeding Turkey Breeders.

http://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/1969.1/166365/2/596/Leaf0596.pdf

Feeding Turkey Breeders.

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Feeding Turkey Breeders.

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