USE OF ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN-SOURCES ON A TRUE AVAILABLE AMINO-ACID BASIS FOR GROWING TURKEYS

Heavy-strain male turkeys were fed corn-soybean meal (CS), or CS diets containing canola (Can), meat and bone (M), poultry by-product (P), o r feather (F) meals and combinations thereof with varying protein leve ls from 0 to 18 wk of age. Diets were formulated utilizing available a mino acids. TSAA were 100% of NRC (1984) requirements in all diets. In experiment 1, diets containing 100, 85, and 75% of NRC Lys from prote in (plus Lys to 85% of NRC) resulted in Hybrid turkeys averaging 13.66 , 13.07, and 12.71 kg, while CS, Can, M, P, and Can + M-containing die ts of variable energy resulted in weights of 13.05, 12.82, 13.36, 13.3 0, and 13.19 kg, respectively, at 18 wk. In Experiment 2, diets contai ning 100, 85, 75, and 65% NRC Lys from protein (plus Lys to 92.5% of N RC) resulted in Nicholas 88 turkeys averaging 13.34, 12.83, 12.39, and 10.98 kg, while CS, and Can, MPF and Can + MPF-containing diets (isoc aloric) resulted in weights of 12.27, 12.92, 11.93, and 12.43 kg, resp ectively at 18 wk. Breast meat was reduced in diets of lower protein.