Comparing the Production Performance of Turkey Hens on Organic Versus Antibiotic Free Feed
Open Access
- Author:
- Farrar, Katelyn
- Area of Honors:
- Animal Sciences
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- John Boney, Thesis Supervisor
William Burton Staniar, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- turkey
turkey hen
feed
organic
antibiotic free
poultry - Abstract:
- The rise in consumer demand for organic poultry has shifted producer focus towards maximizing production efficiency in organic-fed birds. Due to the restrictions on synthetic methionine in organic poultry diets, birds fed a U.S. commercial poultry diet are at risk for methionine deficiency. This can result in decreased bird weight and feed efficiency as well as increased fat deposition. Methionine deficiency in commercial turkeys is not well-documented. To bridge this gap in knowledge, this study was performed to evaluate the performance of turkey hens on an organic diet. Starting on day of hatch, 448 Nicholas Select turkey hens were raised until processing on day 105. From day 14 to day 105, hens were provided either a commercial antibiotic free diet or an organic diet. To remove deficiencies in amino acids other than methionine as a confounding variable, the organic diet was formulated with more dietary protein but still contained less dietary methionine. Each treatment had eight repetitions with 28 hens per repetition in a randomized complete block design. All hens were weighed individually on days 14, 42, 70, and 105. Feed consumption and final processing yields were also recorded. Hens fed the organic diet had higher average live bird weights than the hens fed the antibiotic free diet, but they also had a greater feed intake. After evisceration, there was no significant difference between carcass and breast weights of each treatment. Therefore, the excess protein contributed to overall bird weight but did not result in more marketable meat. It is likely that methionine deficiency interfered with lipid transport pathways and deposited excess nutrients as fat. Overall, organic-fed turkey hens can perform at the level of antibiotic free-fed hens but at the expense of higher feed prices and greater feed consumption.