Nutritional Disorders in Fattening Turkeys

The feed industry has long known that inadequate dietary nutrient levels may not support optimum poultry health, performance, or welfare. However, the research on the effects of additional nutrients (amino acids, minerals, and vitamins) on turkeys is sparse and partly outdated. Turkeys are omnivores, but for economic reasons, they are fed largely vegetarian diets supplemented with purified sources of nutrients to meet their nutritional requirements (Klasing and Korver 2020). The growth rate of turkeys has increased significantly during the past decade due to genetic selection. Nutrient deficiencies or toxicities often result from diet formulation and/or milling errors. In this chapter, we will discuss the main nutritional disorders in turkeys.