Feed is the single biggest cost to a turkey operation, 60% to 70% of the cost of production is related to feed, with energy and protein considered the main contributors to this cost.
Adequate energy and amino acids should be provided in the diet to support bird performance. However, there is a need to understand the bird’s response to these nutrients in order to achieve the best economic outcome.
Aviagen Turkeys, in collaboration with their research partners, have conducted a number of trials assessing the impact of various energy and amino acid densities on turkey performance. Each of these trials assessed different nutrient levels. Table 1 shows the amino acid and energy levels assessed. Nutrient levels are expressed as a percentage of breed standard, 100% representing the BUT6 breed standard.
- Higher farm and processing margins are achieved at or above breed standards relative to lower nutrient levels. However increasing both amino acid and energy density further increases margin.
- Increasing one nutrient without a concomitant increase in the other nutrient results in lower margin.
- Decreasing both energy and amino acid density results in lower margin.
These assessments were based on one specific cost base. Raw material feed costs fluctuate and will impact on margin so in order to assess this effect both farm and processing margins were examined at higher feed costs. The price of protein, cereal and cereal by-products were increased in cost by a minimum of 10% to reflect typical ranges in raw material costs over a three-year period. Figure 4a,b shows both the farm and processing margin profile remain unchanged relative to the margin profile at lower feed costs. Both farm and processing margin are still higher at breed standard relative to lower nutrient levels and optimised at the highest nutrient densities. This shows that the margin response to nutrient density is ‘resilient’ to altering raw material price changes and suggests that nutrient density should not be reduced below the breed standard when raw material costs increase.
- The data demonstrates the ability of the modern bird to respond to a wide range of nutrient levels.
- Liveweight, FCR and breast meat yield are responsive to nutrient density and show optimal responses on or above breed standards.
- Based on the example scenario, feeding to the breed standard achieves higher margin relative to lower nutrient densities. Increasing both amino acid and energy density above breed standard results in further improvement of margin.
- Deviation in nutrient density below breed standard significantly reduces both farm and processing margin.
- The margin response to nutrient density remains similar at elevated feed costs suggesting nutrient density should not be significantly reduced when raw material prices increase.
- The margin response to nutrient density is consistent at differing revenue levels suggesting nutrient density should not be reduced below breed standard when revenue decreases.
- Collating trial response data provides a means where by both biological and economic responses can be assessed at different nutrient densities. Using this approach nutritionists can make informed decisions about the nutrient density to feed to commercial turkeys for a given set of circumstances.