Turkey feed Question

[ozexpat]

So, I take that to mean all the vitamins and minerals are generic and all-purpose across the board? No special needs for chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guineas, etc.

I find that a little hard to believe.

My original post was meant for the OP. My comment on lysine was based on the fact that my protein levels are right on the money. Some people like to bump protein up - something I dont believe is beneficial - but I do ensure that the essential amino acids in the protein I use is more than adequate. One of the rate limiting factors in corn is its relative low lysine level. Typically, if you have a good Lysine level, the other essential AA will also be there.

In regards to your quote:

Actually I did not say nor imply that at all.

""any quality age/stage feed will have everything your birds need"" should be interpreted as if you buy the appropriate feed for the animals, you wont need additives.

While many back yarders love to provide treats and all sorts of additives for their chickens, most are unnessary and just end up increasing thr stink of the chicken excrement.

If you are trying to adapt the feed of one age/stage/breed to another by "watering it down"or "topping it up", its a different story.by the time one starts adding cat food to chicken feed, buying a few pounds of the right feed is probably more cost efficient.

Nothing we do with chickens is natural. The chicken in our back yards is as far removed from the gallus gallus as our backyards are removed from the jungles of SE Asia. Brewers yeast is as foregn as corn to the jungle fowl. Use corn free if you feel you need to but chicken 200 years ago free ranged and got some scratch each night as they came home. their feed did not resemble the "natural" feeds of today

my advice to the new turkey starter is

0-6 weeks - gamebird starter
6-12 weeks = non medicated chick starter
12weeks to point of lay - grower
At signs of laying - layer

if you are scared about calcium giving you birds kidney stones, dont use layer but make sure there is free choice oyster shell for them to get their own calcium.
these will have all you need without mixing

 

[JoyM]

Hi this is my first turkey. It is a pet. Poultry feed is very limited in the area I live in. I was told he could eat regular chick starter and so that's what we have been feeding him these last 8 weeks. My question is; is it okay to feed him our chicken's pellets for the next few days?
It is only 16% protein. It's Dumor layer pellets. At least for a few days until I can track down or have delivered the proper food?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have raised some of mine on chick starter, they are healthy and fine, mine do some ranging, catch a lot of bugs, I don't think it would be a problem to feed layer for a couple days, though it wouldn't be considered the best thing.

 

[bgerald]

I'm not a pro but I have two BBB turkeys that I raised from chicks. I started them out with Chick starter (non medicate) and after they feathered out I put them on meat bird crumbles (21% crude protein) and 7 grain scratch. They are doing well and getting bigger by the week. I also have 8 blue slate turkeys. They were 2and a half months old when I got them. I have been feeding them the same meat bird crumbles and scratch. They are almost the same size as the BBB. Once I process my BBB turkeys (their names are Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner ) I will switch the other over to laying mash and scratch. So far all my birds are healthy and growing.

 

[bgerald]

Just weighed my birds the other day. My BBB are weighing in at 20 pounds. I'm taking them to butcher at the 1st of Nov

 

[MotherNature7]

My oldest turkey hen choked when I fed her gamebird crumbles. So I decided to give this to my worms and give her chicken layer feed pellets.. this worked out well until my local store started carrying gamebird pellets instead of crumbles. I thought I was doing them a favor by switching. Im thinking not after reading all the posts!!

 

[MotherNature7]

A simple experiment will very easily disprove your belief that there is no difference between using chick starter and turkey or gamebird starter. Set up 2 separate brooders and put the same age poults in the 2 brooders. Feed the poults in one brooder chick starter and feed the poults in the second brooder turkey or gamebird starter that is at least 28% protein. You will see the difference.

What is your unscientific basis for not wanting to use layer feed for turkeys?

I have been raising turkeys for nearly 30 years. My turkeys use the same run and coop as my chickens. I feed all of the adults a quality 16% layer feed along with free choice oyster shell. My adult turkey hens are doing better since I switched from gamebird maintenance to layer feed about 10 years ago.

I really wish I had seen this before I bought gamebird feed for my 4 turkeys thinking I was helping them out!! they had been on the same layer feed as my chickens and I felt guilty thinking I was not treating them right!! I go on vacation for 3 days and come home to what looks like pox!!! I am so upset. I'm sure its a coincidence but I couldn't help but think of the feed change stressed them!! I have tried so hard to keep them away from my chickens because of all the things I've read negatively about raising them together. You've done this successfully for 30 years???? dry lesions on the nonfeathered area of my favorite tom turkey, Brucejenner. He is the worst so far. the other tom has a few dry lesions but not like Brucejenner. My molting old lady doesent have any yet and the hen doesn't either. This is the first out break Ive ever had so I'm quite nervous about it. Do you have any feed or pox advice for me???

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some of mine had the pox over the summer, most had a medium case, one had it pretty severe, they look really bad, but they do run through it in around a month without any treatment, couple of mine had one swollen eye shut. It brought in by wild birds or mosquitoes, it doesn't seem too contagious, saw three out of my ten adults have it, one bird had it years ago and it never spread.

Fall is the time for illnesses and diseases due to weather changes, spring can be bad too. There's a vaccine, but there's no cure, some give antibiotics for supportive care but it won't treat the pox. Time and a lot of, you look terrible to your turkeys and they should be okay.

My turkeys forage in the same pasture as my chickens, I just pen them separately, because the turkeys can be too much on chickens

 

[Mees]

This is great info! It's hard to find info re. turkeys!
I have one with a slipped tendon that I'm trying to help. I've read that a deficiency can cause that.
Any recommendations for adding vitamins/minerals to feed? They're currently on game feed with grains and seeds and worms mixed in. I also add a liquid vitamins and electrolyte to their water.

 

[R2elk]

This is great info! It's hard to find info re. turkeys!
I have one with a slipped tendon that I'm trying to help. I've read that a deficiency can cause that.
Any recommendations for adding vitamins/minerals to feed? They're currently on game feed with grains and seeds and worms mixed in. I also add a liquid vitamins and electrolyte to their water.

I would not recommend feeding worms. If you are in an area that has Blackhead, worms can be a carrier. Be careful that you don't feed birdseed or sunflower seeds at a rate of more than 10% of their diet. Birdseed and sunflower seeds are too low in protein and too high in fat and should only be considered treats and as such should not comprise more than 10% of their total diet. Free ranging for the greens and exercise is good for them.