Use of Peat as a Bedding Material and Dietary Component for Tom Turkeys

Abstract

In a study of turkeys over the period 0 to 3 wk of age, body weights of birds fed 5 or 15% dietary peat or carrier-type feed byproducts (rice hulls, sunflower hulls, peanut hulls, soybean mill feed, wood flour, and corn cobs) were compared to those of turkeys fed a diet composed primarily of corn and soybean meal. Turkeys fed 15% dietary peat or carriers showed a greater growth depression than those fed the diluents at the 5% dietary level. At the 5% peat or carrier level, growth was not significantly (P>.05) depressed when birds were fed rice hulls (body weight was 98.5% of control), peat (97.1%), sunflower hulls (96.9%), and peanut hulls (95.8%); growth was significantly depressed (P<.05) when birds were fed corn cobs (93.1%), soybean mill feed (92.9%), and wood flour (92.8%). Peat, when used as a drying agent for liquid agricultural byproducts, would account for 2 to 4% of the diet. Results of this study suggest that peat as a carrier fed at the 5% level would minimally affect growth.In a market study male turkeys were raised on floor pens containing peat or wood shavings and fed 0, 5, or 10% reed-sedge peat as a diluent of a typical corn-soybean meal mash diet. Body weights of turkeys fed 5 or 10% dietary peat showed a slight growth depression on both litter materials, compared with control. Higher body weights (nonsignificant) were observed for turkeys on wood shavings compared with those on peat litter after 12 wk of age. This possible weight difference may be due to the observed higher incidence of swollen foot pads in peat pens, thought to be caused by variable large peat sizes. Necropsy, organ weight, bone mineral, and taste panel studies revealed no significant differences due to peat feeding or type of bedding.