Turkey Feed Question

[Pennys Mama]

It has sufficient niacin to be good for most waterfowl. It has high enough levels of lysine and methionine to be suitable for guineas, quail and turkeys. None of the levels are too high for chickens.

I believe Pekin ducks need a higher level of niacin but that can be supplemented with Brewer's yeast or a good vitamin B complex.

Thanks, that will make "grocery" shopping alot simpler, than a bag of this & a bag of these others too......

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@R2elk @casportpony @Wyorp Rock
Is the Purina Flock Raiser adequate nutrition for all fowl/waterfowl across the board? I have ducks, chickens, guinea, and quail. I know I've been feeding too much grain/scratch/corn/worms but they HATE the layer pellets, and will try to wipe out all of the gamebird starter/grower crumble that's out for the younger ones. Any suggestions?

Glad @R2elk was able to answer your questions, I don't know anything about Turkeys

 

[RoosterML]

Found this today,
For turkeys, the requirement is quite wide, varying from 40 to 60 mg per kg (18.2 to 27.3 mg per lb). Harms et al. (1988) reported that 23.6 mg per kg (10.7 mg per lb) of niacin from a corn-soybean diet was sufficient for maximum egg production and hatchability in turkeys. However, body and egg weights were significantly increased when 8.4 and 16.7 mg per kg (3.8 and 7.5 mg per lb) of niacin were added to the diet,

Looks like any of the Poulin Feeds will do.
Chick starter feed - 28.7 mg/lb
Quick grow Broiler feed – 27.2 mg/lb
Turkey/Gamebird Finisher Pellet – 31.3 mg/lb
Layer pellet – 25.6 mg/lb

 

[Pennys Mama]

Glad @R2elk was able to answer your questions, I don't know anything about Turkeys

Sorry, I guess I wasn't even thinking "turkey" per se, just birds, large & small.

 

[R2elk]

Found this today,
For turkeys, the requirement is quite wide, varying from 40 to 60 mg per kg (18.2 to 27.3 mg per lb). Harms et al. (1988) reported that 23.6 mg per kg (10.7 mg per lb) of niacin from a corn-soybean diet was sufficient for maximum egg production and hatchability in turkeys. However, body and egg weights were significantly increased when 8.4 and 16.7 mg per kg (3.8 and 7.5 mg per lb) of niacin were added to the diet,

Looks like any of the Poulin Feeds will do.
Chick starter feed - 28.7 mg/lb
Quick grow Broiler feed – 27.2 mg/lb
Turkey/Gamebird Finisher Pellet – 31.3 mg/lb
Layer pellet – 25.6 mg/lb

Post #21 has been edited to correct the miscalculations.

I don't know why you are looking at chick starter unless you are planning to use it for turkey poults. While it may have sufficient niacin content it does not have the necessary levels of lysine, methionine or protein for proper development of turkey poults.

Personally I would stick with the Purina Flock Raiser because overall it is the best quality of the feeds that you have listed.

One reason for the different amounts of niacin being recommended is because developing poults need higher levels than adults need.

 

[Pennys Mama]

@R2elk
Do you feel that "Flock Raiser" is the optimal choice for all poultry, with the addition of oyster shell free choice for hens & brewers yeast for the ducks? Or do you recommend a "Layer" feed be given once they reach the appropriate age range? The flock raiser is okay for quailies too (high enough protein, etc)?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Layer feed is only appropriate if all the birds eating it are active layers.

 

[R2elk]

@R2elk
Do you feel that "Flock Raiser" is the optimal choice for all poultry, with the addition of oyster shell free choice for hens & brewers yeast for the ducks? Or do you recommend a "Layer" feed be given once they reach the appropriate age range? The flock raiser is okay for quailies too (high enough protein, etc)?

It depends on the situation and your location. Flock raiser is a really good feed that is appropriate for most adult fowl including adult quail.

It is not the best choice for production hens such as White Leghorns. They will do better on a quality layer feed plus free choice oyster shell especially if you live in an area like mine where the calcium content in the soil is lacking. If you live in an area where limestone is abundant and your chickens free range, it may not be as important to use layer feed for production type chickens.

Here, Flock Raiser is only available as crumbles. I use an All Flock feed instead because it is available in pellets. My poultry seem to create less waste feed with pellets instead of crumbles.

Everyone needs to choose what feed is best for their situation from the feeds that are available to them. Unfortunately because of the replacement of local feed stores with chain feed stores it is becoming more and more difficult to find appropriate quality feeds. One of the feeds that I liked the best and my poultry did very well on, is no longer available to me because the only feed store that carried that brand closed and none of the other feed stores picked them up.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I think it may be helpful to understand why some feeds are appropriate for some ages and species and others are not. It basically reflects the nutritional makeup of the foods they eat in nature and those nutrients reflect what they genetically have become predisposed to.
Game birds, specifically quail, turkey, partridge, etc. in nature, hatch in the spring and early summer. Chicks and poults of those species eat primarily insects, other invertebrates and small vertebrates. That is a very high protein diet. As they mature, their diets shift to more seeds and greens - much lower in protein.
Chicken chicks in nature, on the other hand, eat a wider variety of foods including insects but also seeds and greenery. That more varied diet is lower in protein. All young growing birds require a higher level of crude protein and more importantly a comple array of essential amino acids than maturing birds and adults that are no longer growing.
Those differences in a natural diet are why game bird starter feeds are in the neighborhood of 28-30% protein while chicken starter ranges from 18-20% protein (a tad higher for meat birds for rapid growth). The dietary protein needed, continue to decline with age as their natural diet would transition.
The same can be said about ducklings and adult ducks. Many species of ducks eat mostly insects in spring and summer when those foods are most plentiful and provide the best nutrition for growing ducklings. When the seasons change and insects aren't as common, however, ducks will switch their diet to more easily available foods.
Since adult game birds eat mostly seeds and other types of vegetation, depending on the season, maintenance feeds can be as low as 12 or 13% protein.
Calcium to phosphorus ratio is important. Most birds do well on about 1% calcium and 0.5% phosphorus. Only birds actively laying eggs (i.e. building shells) can make use of the approximately 4% calcium in layer feed.

 

[Pennys Mama]

It depends on the situation and your location. Flock raiser is a really good feed that is appropriate for most adult fowl including adult quail.

It is not the best choice for production hens such as White Leghorns. They will do better on a quality layer feed plus free choice oyster shell especially if you live in an area like mine where the calcium content in the soil is lacking. If you live in an area where limestone is abundant and your chickens free range, it may not be as important to use layer feed for production type chickens.

Here, Flock Raiser is only available as crumbles. I use an All Flock feed instead because it is available in pellets. My poultry seem to create less waste feed with pellets instead of crumbles.

Everyone needs to choose what feed is best for their situation from the feeds that are available to them. Unfortunately because of the replacement of local feed stores with chain feed stores it is becoming more and more difficult to find appropriate quality feeds. One of the feeds that I liked the best and my poultry did very well on, is no longer available to me because the only feed store that carried that brand closed and none of the other feed stores picked them up.

Yeah, I'm just trying to figure it out myself. I have a mixed flock, all ages, so I was hoping to find one that works well for all. The ground here has alot of shale, we are living along where an old riverbed use to be until it diverted itself. I'm unsure of the soil quality though. My birds ignore whole pellets until everything else is gone, they prefer the crumbles, and are very wasteful with the crumbles. I'm hoping to figure out a feeder that limits the waste.