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Evaluation of alfalfa meal as a dietary ingredient for young Turkeys |
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| Authors: | L M Potter J R Shelton |
| Institution: | Department of Poultry Science , Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA |
| Abstract: | Two experiments were conducted to evaluate alfalfa meal in the diet of turkeys aged between 1 d and 4 weeks. Turkeys were fed on diets containing 0, 5, 10 or 15% alfalfa meal from two sources. By adding increments of 5% alfalfa meal containing 20 or 17% protein in place of 4.0% ground yellow corn and 1.0% dehulled soybean meal, food efficiencies were decreased by 2.3 and 3.1%, respectively. Body weights decreased and food consumptions increased in a linear manner. Two additional experiments were conducted to determine the effects of adding alfalfa meal to diets of turkeys aged between 4 and 8 weeks. Adding 5% alfalfa meal containing 17% protein to the diet did not affect the average body weight gain but food consumption was increased by 3.4% and the efficiency of food utilisation decreased by 3.0%. To produce the efficiencies of food utilisation in the turkeys as observed in this study, the alfalfa meals containing 20 and 17% protein would be expected to contain about 1870 and 1320 kcal ME/kg (7.82 and 5.52 MJ/kg) respectively. |
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