Effects of Lighting and Dietary Energy Source on Male Market Turkeys.

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted with 528 and 500 Large White male turkeys to determine the effects of feeding either wheat or corn as the energy source and the effects of four different lighting treatments on growth, feed consumption, and feed conversion in a factorial arrangement. Wheat and corn diets were freely provided during the experiments and the lighting treatments began at 8 wk of age. The lighting treatments included: continuous light [C, 24 h light (L):0 h dark (D)], light decreasing 1 h/day per week until it reached 16L:8D (Dl), light decreasing 2 h/day per week until it reached 16L:8D (D2), and intermittent light (I, 4L:2D). All birds were processed when the C birds were estimated to weigh 11.36 kg. No differences in body weight, feed consumption, or feed efficiency were found from 0 to 8 wk of age between turkeys fed diets with either wheat or corn as the energy source. For the period of 8 to 18 wk in Experiment 1 and 8 to 16 wk in Experiment 2, turkeys fed wheat diets were, respectively, .75 and 4.09% (P < .05) heavier than birds fed corn diets. Experiments 1 and 2 indicated decreased growth performance when decreasing day length treatments (Dl and D2) were used. (

Effects of Three Different Lighting Programs on Live Weight Change of Bronze Turkeys under Semi-Intensive Conditions

“…The feed intake of turkeys exposed to a lighting program of 12L:12D seemed to follow a compensatory pattern in which they increased their feed intake resulting in increased weight gain as compared to that of turkeys receiving a lighting program of 23L:1D and 18L:6D. Though this finding is consistent with the results of HERSTAD (1992), NEWBERRY (1992), HULET et al (1993), CLASSEN et al (1994, HEMILTON and KENNIE (1997), SENGUL et al (2000), andYAHAV et al (2000), it provides other implications. In this regard, in addition to the trial conditions, the aim of studies and the use of statistical models for the evaluation of the results of such studies can have significant influence on the outcome of such studies.…”