Effect of Dietary Protein and Energy on Reproductive Performance of Turkey Hens

Abstract Six groups of 20 Nicholas Large White turkey hens each were used to study the effect of dietary protein and energy on egg production, body weight, egg weight, and subsequent day-old poult weights. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments consisted of two levels of crude protein (14 and 18%) and three levels of metabolizable energy (2.3, 2.8, and 3.3 Mcal/kg of diet). The following results were obtained: a negative body weight change from all treatments; an increase in the dietary energy level from 2.3 to 2.8 and 3.3 Mcal/kg reversed a trend in weight loss by the hens observed during the first 8 weeks of the study; a significant positive correlation between egg weight and adult body weight; best egg production and largest eggs from hens fed the 18% protein diet containing 2.3 Mcal of energy, a significant negative linear effect from dietary energy that resulted in less feed consumption per kilogram of eggs produced; a significant positive linear effect from protein on egg weight, hatchability, and day-old poult weight; a positive relationship between egg weight and day-old poult weight; lower percentage hatchability of fertile eggs weighing 100 g or more than of eggs weighing less than 100 g. The data indicate that under our experimental conditions, a diet containing 18% protein and 2.3 Meal metabolizable energy per kilogram was apparently adequate for reproduction.