Full-Fat Canola Seed as a Feedstuff for Turkeys

Abstract

Feeding of various forms of full-fat canola seed products was compared with feeding canola meal plus oil at up to 200 g/kg canola meal equivalent (on an oil-adjusted basis) in mash or pelleted diets for turkeys to 6 wk of age. Comparisons of seed-processing methods demonstrated that cooking was ineffective, but both flaking and extrusion increased live weights and improved feed efficiency of birds fed full-fat canola seed. Stem pelleting was more effective, resulting in similar feed efficiencies for whole and processed seed. Live weights were slightly reduced for birds fed whole or flaked seed even when the feed was pelleted.Neither lysine nor arginine supplementation affected performance of birds fed control, canola meal, or full-fat (flaked) seed diets. Increased protein did not improve weight gain of birds fed whole or flaked canola seed in the diet. Response to methionine was less with canola diets than with the wheat-soybean meal control diet.In another experiment steam-pelleted diets containing 100 or 200 g/kg of canola meal or equivalent full-fat canola seed [whole or flaked (uncooked)] were fed to Medium White turkeys to 12 wk of age; controls were fed wheat-soybean meal diets. Diets with canola meal gave performance equal to that of controls. Full-fat canola seed at 165 g/kg supported growth equal to that of birds fed control or canola meal diets, but live weights were reduced by feeding 330 g/kg. Feed efficiency was lower than expected for birds fed full-fat canola diets, and high rates of inclusion reduced carcass fleshing.