The Effect of the Level of Protein Intake on the Growth and Feed Utilization of Turkeys

A KNOWLEDGE of the range in the percentage of protein that can be used satisfactorily in the mash of turkeys fed mash and grain ad libitum is of importance to both the turkey grower and the research worker. The object of this paper is to present an analysis of some data on growth and feed consumption that were obtained with turkeys which were fed ad libitum grain and mashes that contained different percentages of protein varying from approximately 18.5 to 30.0 percent by increments of approximately 2 percent. Funk (1930) found that an all-mash diet containing 20 percent of protein produced satisfactory growth in turkeys reared in semi-confinement from hatching to 24 weeks of age. Brooks (1933) found that male turkeys ate more feed per week than female turkeys but that they required less feed per pound of gain than the females from 18 to 28 weeks of age. Mussehl . . .