Hello everyone. I need some advice/information, and I trust you all a lot more than my local feed store! Just so you know, I'm very new to raising fowl. I have 4 young turkeys, and they are about 2 and 1/2 months old. I've been feeding them gamebird high protein chick scratch since birth, but really want to move onto something CHEAPER! I did talk to my local feed store and they said I should/could go ahead and start them on crushed corn. I bought a big 50 pound bag (for 4 birds!) so I hope you all don't tell me I wasted my money. Now, I can tell my turkey's don't like the crushed corn quite as well as the scratch, but they definately do eat it and it could just be that they are getting use to the change (I've only fed them the crushed corn 2 times so far). ANYWAY.....here is my question (yes, I actually do have one!) I noticed on the bag that the crude protein is 8%, crude fat is 3% and crude fiber is 3%. WEll, my chick scratch had 28% crude protein, so it seems like a really big difference to go down to 8%! Of course at 2.5 months they aren't growing quite as fast now as they did in the first 2 months, and I know they can't stay on chick starter forever. But I just wanted to make sure I'm doing the right thing here. THanks, in advance, for any information you can give about what I should be feeding my turkeys at 2.5 months and whether I should be using this Crushed Corn they sold me, and if I should supplement it with anything else. (grit, vitimans, chic scratch, probiotics, etc etc etc.) kevin
Yes, it needs to be supplemented with some sort of good quality protein. They were not created to live on corn alone. Also beware that lots of corn is GMO now.
But I just wanted to make sure I'm doing the right thing here. They should be getting at least 20% protein
Yep they need something other that the corn. Corn to my birds is a treat and only when it is cold outside. I have read that corn produces heat in birds and it is not good to feed them it during the hot summer months. Can turkerys eat the grower finisher that chickens can eat? It has more protein in there and it is healthier for them. My geese eat this kind of food and they free range with my adult chickens and they have acces to grit as well. 1. more protein for growing babies 2. no corn in the heat as it causes them to produce more heat 3. search on BYC to see if the turkeys can eat chick food Good Luck! P.S. Have you had any problems with the hawk or falcon you had perching in the nearby trees?
thanks folks. I'd still like a little more specific recommendation in terms of what I should be feeding my 2.5-3 month old, fully feathered turkeys. What do I ask for at the feedstore? (since leaving it up to them is how I ended up with 50 pounds of crushed corn! Thanks!
Get them a turkey/gamebird grower feed. Or a flock ration (Trip-L-Duty by Manna Pro, Flock Raiser by Purina, etc.) You can supplement with leftovers from your own meals as well as various grains in moderation. If they free-range, they will need less provided feed than if they do not forage.
My poults are on 24% game bird as I want to eat some for Thanksgiving you can feed them lower protein but it will take them longer to finish. Turkeys like grass and bugs so if they can get that they will eat less of the feed store feed also. I live where there is no green grass in the summer and fall so I'm going to try sprouting barley and wheat and oats for them and about 6 weeks before I plan on butchering them I will add corn. I thought mine would never fill out and they are really starting to bloom at 14 weeks they are Midget Whites and Bourbons and they take 30 weeks at least to be ready to process
Check out this chart from the Purina website. According to it, now is the correct time for you to change your turkeys' diet. But they are recommending you go to Flock Raiser - which is 20% protein - for the next 9 or 10 weeks.
