- Oats (including cooked oatmeal)
- Pasta, cooked
- Rice, cooked
- Wheat
What do you feed a wild turkey?
What Do Wild Turkeys Eat
- Acorns
- Beechnuts
- Hawthorns
- Crabapples
- Cherry
- Blackberry
- Dogwood
- Sumac
- Wild grape
- Chestnut tree
What is the average feed conversion ratio for turkeys?
With an average butcher weight of 8.82 lbs. per bird, this calculates to an approximate feed conversion ratio of 7.9 lbs., carcass weight as choice feeding on the growth, feed conversion ratio (FCR), blood biochemical attributes, and immune competence traits of growing turkeys under intensive system.
Can you feed turkeys medicated feed?
Some say you should start them on medicated turkey starter, others say that you should never start them on medicated starter. I have found some medicated turkey starter at a local feed store and the bag warns against giving the medicated feed to Guineas and that makes me even more nervous about using it.
What do turkeys eat on a farm?
Turkeys eat various foods that range from small reptiles and bugs to fruit, seeds, and grain. Their exact diet depends on the season and available food and their age and stage in life. Turkeys eat insects, snails, slugs, lizards, snakes, and grasshoppers. They enjoy nuts, acorns, seeds (including many wild weed seeds), corn, grain, and peas.
What is the best thing to feed turkeys?
FEED turkeys cracked or whole kernel corn, sunflower seeds, oats, wheat, or non-medicated commercial poultry or turkey rations. FEED turkeys daily by broadcasting food at a rate of 2 large handfuls (or 1/2 cup) per turkey per day.
What do you feed domesticated turkeys?
Turkeys eat seeds, grains, vegetables, and insects. As omnivores, turkeys mostly eat seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and insects. But they also eat many surprising foods like fish, snails, and lizards.
What do commercially raised turkeys eat?
American farmers are raising turkeys in scientifically designed, environmentally controlled barns that provide maximum protection from predators, disease and weather extremes. They are fed a balanced diet of corn and soybean meal mixed with a supplement of vitamins and minerals.
What should I feed my meat turkeys?
Rape and alfalfa, as well as lettuce, cabbage, and most any other garden greens, all provide good food for turkeys. As much as 25 percent of the ration can be greens, which can enable you to compete price-wise with the commercial grower.
What should you not feed turkeys?
Here is some food that you should not feed to turkeys:Low-Quality chicken feed.Dairy foods.Onions.Raw meat.Chocolate.Processed foods.Fruit pits and seeds.Tomato and eggplant leaves.More items...
What can I feed wild turkeys in my yard?
Offer Seeds and Browse: Turkeys browse on plant buds and shoots in the early spring and feed off fern fronds, club mosses, and weeds such as burdock, especially when there is a lot of snow cover and other foods are hard to find. Grasses, sedges and many wildflowers provide wild turkeys with seeds to eat.
Can turkey be grass fed?
Turkeys on Pasture Turkeys are an American bird, so they are at home in our climate and environment. Tasting a pasture raised turkey, one that has had daily access to fresh grass, you'll know the difference immediately. The dark meat is richer, and the white meat is more forgiving, so it doesn't dry out as quickly.
Do turkeys eat alfalfa pellets?
Raising turkeys on pasture through the winter is also possible, but they may need to be supplemented with grains, commercial pelleted feed mixtures, or alfalfa.
What do free range turkeys eat?
They eat anything green, from chicory to plantain, and this helps to produce that wonderful rich flavor and the amazing health benefits of pastured poultry. Because our heritage turkeys are out on pasture for their entire life, they develop flavor that can't be found in a supermarket.
What is the best age to butcher a turkey?
What Is The Best Age To Butcher A Turkey?The best age to butcher a Broad Breasted Turkey is 16-20 weeks, for heritage breed turkeys it's 24-28 weeks.If you are looking for growth, broad breasted turkeys are your top choice.More items...
Can turkeys have carrots?
Turkeys love to pick at natural plants. They will consume all sorts of leaves and grasses. You can also feed your turkey various vegetable plants like lettuce, cabbage, carrot leaves, and much more.
Can turkeys eat table scraps?
Types of Turkey Feed Turkeys like to eat the growing tips of the grass. They will also enjoy any kitchen or garden scraps: lettuce, tomatoes, sweet corn, summer squash, and so on.
What do free range turkeys eat?
They eat anything green, from chicory to plantain, and this helps to produce that wonderful rich flavor and the amazing health benefits of pastured poultry. Because our heritage turkeys are out on pasture for their entire life, they develop flavor that can't be found in a supermarket.
Do wild turkeys eat carrots?
They will consume all sorts of leaves and grasses. You can also feed your turkey various vegetable plants like lettuce, cabbage, carrot leaves, and much more.
Can turkeys eat chick starter?
Chick starter can be used to raise turkeys, with cautions: It does not have enough proteins or vitamins for good development. If chick starter is used, be sure to supplement with brewer's yeast at the rate of 2 cups per 10 lbs of chick starter.
Will wild turkeys eat vegetables?
Wild turkeys are opportunistically omnivorous, which means they will readily sample a wide range of foods, both animal and vegetable.
What to feed a turkey?
Here are some common snacks often offered to turkeys: 1 Watermelon#N#This is an excellent summertime treat to offer your turkeys as it can help keep them hydrated even on the hottest days. All parts of the watermelon are safe to feed your turkeys, including the flesh, seeds, and rind. 2 Apples#N#Most turkeys love apples and will enjoy pecking at them cubed or sliced. Seeds should be removed if possible, but small amounts of seed ingested on occasion are not dangerous to your birds. Applesauce is a great snack option for young birds as well! 3 Peas#N#This is probably going to be the table scrap your turkeys enjoy the most! Peas are a healthy snack to offer your birds and can be offered dried, cooked, or frozen. You can even mix peas into your regular feed ration for extra protein! 4 Spinach#N#If you really want to offer spinach to your turkeys as an occasional treat or snack, doing so in small amounts is fine. Spinach can block the absorption of calcium, leading to bone density issues over the long term if fed in abundance.
What is the best food for turkeys?
Many custom rations for turkeys include a variety of grains and seeds, including: Corn. While corn is not the most nutritious food on its own, it can be a great option for providing fat and overall energy. This can be especially useful in the winter, so corn is common in most winter rations.
What Is Fermented Feed?
Fermenting is a way to take advantage of lactic acid fermentation in your commercial or custom mixed turkey rations. It is a simple and highly effective way to make digestion easier on your flock, leading to larger-sized birds with less feed required.
How much protein do turkeys need?
As turkeys grow, their protein requirements change. Young turkeys require around 28% protein from the start to ensure they grow quickly and safely.
What do turkeys eat?
Their exact diet depends on the season and available food and their age and stage in life. Turkeys eat insects, snails, slugs, lizards, snakes, and grasshoppers. They enjoy nuts, acorns, seeds (including many wild weed seeds), corn, grain, and peas. They eat berries, flowers, bulbs, foliage, and fruit.
How to attract turkeys to your farm?
Attracting wild turkeys can be as simple as clearing out some dense brush and leaving large trees available for roosting or as elaborate as planting a diverse selection of plants to attract them. Native nut-bearing and fruit-bearing bushes, shrubs, and small trees help attract turkeys, quail, and deer to the area as they will feed, rest and nest in areas where food is abundant.
Why mix your own feed ration?
Mixing your own feed ration can be the best option if you want to focus on a more cost-effective sole ingredient to provide the right nutrients or if you have a larger flock and prepackaged bags of feed are not enough . Additionally, mixing your own ration can be a great way to ensure your flock is receiving only organic or antibiotic-free grains.
Our Top Pick – Best Turkey Feed
Our top pick for the best turkey feed is Nutrena Country Feeds for turkeys. Not only does it contain the right mix of nutrients, but it is also multipurpose. You can feed it to a variety of birds and even animals as well.
Top Turkey Feed Brands
There are several brands of turkey feed. Here is the list of the most popular turkey feed brands:
8 Best Turkey Feeds
The ideal turkey feed should contain all the required nutrients and also they shouldn’t be heavy on budget. Let’s take a look at the top turkey feeds.
How to Choose the Best Turkey Feed
Before buying turkey feed, there are a few things you need to consider. Of course, the price will be a significant factor, but you also need to consider the nutrients your turkeys need. Have a look at some of the things you need to remember when buying turkey feed.
How to Know you have the Correct Feed
Most people tend to think birds such as turkeys can eat almost anything. That isn’t entirely true since some foods could be detrimental to the health of your turkeys, especially their chicks.
The Bottom Line
Like any other birds, Turkeys need all the nutrients they can get to grow into strong, healthy adults. Whether you are keeping them as pets, for food or as gamebirds, you need to ensure they have all the nutrients they need by giving them the best turkey feed.
What is the best feed for a turkey?
The best feed for turkeys is a 28% unmedicated turkey starter for day old poults, which will be gradually transitioned to a 12% unmedicated maintenance ration for adult turkeys.
What is 12% turkey feed?
Once your turkeys get to adult size, they are fine with a 12% feed as a maintenance ration. 12% non medicated poultry feed should be really easy to find at most any feed store. Notice that 12% is a maintenance ration, not a breeding/laying ration.
What is the best feed for a day old poult?
For your day old poults, use 28% feed or a gamebird starter which will be a 30% feed. Poults need a much higher protein feed than most other young birds and the appropriate day old poult feeds are noticeably more expensive than what would be fine for chickens.
Why do you want to keep track of the poults age?
The reason that you’ll want to keep track of the poults age and reduce the protein percentage of the feed is that higher protein feeds are expensive and lower protein feeds are less so.
What is starter feed for poults?
As the name “starter” suggests, it is the first feed your new poults need. It will be a bit higher in protein than the grower and come in smaller pieces, called a crumble, so it’s easier for the poults to eat.
Does turkey feed change as it grows?
Protein % needed will change as turkey grows. You’ll notice in the table at the beginning of the article, the percent protein in the feed changes as the poults grow. This is normal for any feed ration.
Can you use turkey starter instead of broiler feed?
Sometimes it can be hard to source a higher protein feed for your poults, and it’s easy to think well what about using a broiler feed, instead? Short answer: Don’t do it. The only acceptable substitute for turkey starter is gamebird starter.
What is the best feed for turkeys?
Besides commercial feeds that contain high levels of protein, turkeys can be supplied with alfalfa hay as their main feed. In contrast, inadequate or excess protein may be detrimental to the health of turkeys.
How to feed a turkey?
1. Grazing on pasture. Intake from pasture or range grass (grass from 4 – 6 inches long) accounts for 50% of their diets. Wild turkeys often forage near wooded areas. Therefore, you should provide them with ground feeding areas or platform feeders which is large, low enough to accommodate these large birds.
What do turkeys eat?
In the wild, turkeys forage regularly and will eat many various kinds of natural food such as insects, fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, plants, and small vertebrate animals. Turkeys often mainly rely on acorns during the winter season because other alternative food sources may be rare.
Why do meat birds eat rations?
For meat birds, rations are typically formulated to achieve good health and maximum productivity but not too fast to cause any health-related issue.
Why do you change feed at different growth stages?
At different growth stages, the feed needs to be changed to meet nutritional requirements.
Can turkeys forage in pasture?
Some farmers allow turkeys to forage freely through pastures and fields or sprinkle vegetable scraps, or toss a handful of mealworms in order to encourage them to forage. A simple tip you need to keep in mind is that your turkey can access fresh, clean, and available water at all times.
Do turkeys need more protein than chickens?
Turkeys can be a fun addition to a backyard flock if you are looking for company, nutritious meat, and eggs. Generally, a turkey needs more protein than a normal chicken. Check out my article below to know about turkey feed and effective methods to raise a fat and healthy flock. 1.
