Man in researching the needs for turkeys diets has been somewhat of a research project. There are so many fallacies, rumor and innuendo. Let me just say a great deal of the dietary suggestions are for short term raising of turkeys with the ultimate goal of being on a dinner plate within a few months. If long term healthy turkeys are your goal these are NOT the best recommendations you can take.
For one niacin is a very important supplement that can be achieved by various methods or supplements. It seems for both niacin requirements and a healthy introduction to a beneficial bacteria the easiest and most beneficial is brewers yeast . This is not going to be an in depth discussion on that but definitely do your research.
Secondly definitely don't read or take advice from articles regarding hunting or hunters guides. Of all the articles I read these are absolutely mostly bad advice.
Third if you just read those articles that deal with short term poultry farming ultimately the long term healthy progression of your turkeys aren't really a consideration.
It definitely takes reading in depth articles and serious digging in a multitude of sources to ascertain the most accurate articles. The best I found were definitely off the beaten path articles.
Now using commercial poultry articles these normally consider the average life span of 2-3 years at the most with their ultimate goal of being on a dinner plate at a couple of months. Whereas you can extend this up to 10 years with appropriate nutrition .
Keep in mind up front chickens and turkey nutrition are totally different even though they are both poultry. The vitamin requirements for turkeys are somewhere in between chickens and ducks with some quirky differences. Like I said even vitamin requirements are different and require changes in diet at certain ages.
I started this research wondering why so many turkey farmers has such issues with turkeys legs after a couple of weeks. Most " free range homesteaders " were in actuality playing catch-up from not meeting the dietary needs when they were developing in the very early stages. Then when they stop walking and become unable to cath up ultimately cull the birds . If they'd have simply taken care of the niacin requirements during those early stages of development this wouldn't have occurred. I'm a sense as usual they started with chickens , graduated into turkeys believing it was pretty much the same thing without ever bothering to research the differences. Ultimately sustaining losses and issues from the beginning. Like I said if it's only short term with the ultimate goal being a dinner plate within a few months then no big deal . Take the early couple of losses and move on no big loss. If it's the continuation of a very special heritage breed of turkey into the future then do your dietary research before they get into trouble. The old saying stands true , an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Good luck 🍀.
Comments