The Effect of Restrictive Feeding Progams during the Growing Period on Turkey Breeders

Three hundred-sixty Marston Broad White females, hatched in late December, were equally divided among 18 pens and full fed a turkey starter from 0–10 weeks of age. Then ⅓ of the birds was assigned to each of the following feeding regimes: control grower (ad libitum), low protein (ad libitum), or skip-a-day (75 percent of control). All birds remained on these treatments to 24 weeks of age when the control group was placed on a commercial type breeder diet; however, at 14 weeks of age 40 birds from each treatment group were transferred to cages. All birds were fed a commercial type breeder diet, ad libitum, from 206 days. Feed consumption and body weights were the greatest in the control group, followed by the skip-a-day group, with the low protein group consuming the least feed and having the lightest body weights. Age at sexual maturity was earliest for the controls followed by the skip-a-day group, with the low protein birds being delayed the longest. These differences were significant at the 0.05 level of probability.