Influence of Range and Confinement Rearing of Turkeys on Growth, Feed Consumption and Body Conformation

MARKET turkeys are commonly reared on range from 8 or 10 weeks of age until finished at 24 to 28 weeks of age. Green forages supply quantities of both known and unknown nutrients necessary for optimum growth of turkey poults (Scott, 1951; Scott and Jensen, 1952). These authors suggested that the poult growth promoting factor found in grass juice was at least partially destroyed by drying. Kohler and Graham (1951) in a study with chicks also reported that the growth factor in forage was destroyed by drying the whole plant. Scott et al. (1953), however, reported significant growth responses with chicks fed both sun-cured and dehydrated alfalfa. The role of this factor, in the nutrition of turkeys over 8 weeks of age, is not well known. Darrow and Morgan (1944) reported that range rearing resulted in a saving of 9.1% and 3.1% in the amount of feed consumed respectively by . . .