feeding shell corn

[Pine Roost]

In attempt to keep costs down, I have been feeding my older turkeys a mixture of 50/50 wheat and shelled corn (not cracked). I undersatnd that this may not be the absolute best feed mix on the market, but could I expect healthy birds being fed this?

Thanks.

 

[Pine Roost]

thought I may add that they are caged, and don't get the chance to free range vary often.

 

[junkprospector]

i was feeding my turkey a 50/50 feed & cracked corn mix but i wasn't getting the weight gain that i wanted. THey'll probably get by but i think if you want to see the turkey thrive and gain meat mass, then a higher protien feed only is what was recommended to me.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I'm sure they will be healthy but if you will want to eat them, then I'm not sure how big of a turkey you will have.

 

[Celie]

My turkeys won't eat much corn. I don't know if is the GMO cr@p stuff that the feed store is selling or what. Last year they enjoyed getting their occasional corn or oat treats, but this year, they will peck at it and walk away. The chickens will clean it up, but then chickens eat anything. If you are concerned about the high price of 28% protein grower, you might want to try a tip I got from KuntryGirl and try the high protein 28% fish feed. Mine love it and they seem to be thriving on it. It's only about $15 a 50 # sack which is about half the price of the turkey grower. My turkeys free range, too and I fortunately have good thick pastures, which they graze on and grasshoppers are a turkey's natural food source. But you definitely want a higher protein than corn and wheat provide. Someone recently told me they put their rabbits on a corn feed called 50/50 and the rabbits grew really fast, but his breeding stock all went sterile. I don't like corn for rabbit feed because it causes bloat in rabbits, like colic in horses? I don't know much about the 50/50 feed except it's half GMO corn. My turkeys are feasting off all the pears that are falling off the trees, before I can get to them! I wouldn't put it past my monsters to be jumping up and picking the fruit. They get most of my blueberries, too

.

 

[Pine Roost]

Thanks for the responses. I do not plan to eat my heratige birds... so I'm hoping that corn and wheat will be fine for them.