Comparison of Feeding Systems for Growing Turkeys on Range and in Confinement

There is little experimental evidence published on the effect of the commonly used feeding systems on growth and market quality of turkeys reared on range and in confinement. Funk (1943) found that growing turkeys will over-eat on a high protein concentrate mash in hot weather rather than eat whole grains. On the other hand, Robertson and Wilhelm (1940) observed more efficient gains when high protein mash was fed with grain free-choice as compared with all-mash rations, or mash plus limited grain. The work of Hammond and Marsden (1937) showed that protein content had no consistent effect on the quantity of feed necessary to produce a pound of gain when mashes containing protein levels of 18 to 30 percent were fed ad libitum with grains. The group receiving 18 percent protein mash and grain grew less rapidly and weighed less at 28 weeks than the groups fed the higher levels of . . .