One of the first things I wanted to know when I started thinking about raising turkeys on my homestead was, what do turkeys eat? Feeding and watering turkeys properly not only keeps your birds healthy, but it can also save you money. As always, gaining some knowledge before you start is a good idea, and the tips I’ve learned have helped me waste less food, lose fewer young turkeys to chill and disease, and raise some healthy, full-flavored turkey meat.
Figuring out what my turkeys would need to eat and the best strategies for feeding and watering them from brooder to pen saved me time, money, and frustration in the long run. Getting my feeders, waterers, and feed system set up properly before I even brought my turkey poults home was key.
Raising turkeys can be a rewarding experience, whether you’re doing it for your own family feast or to sell birds at market. But keeping your flock healthy and growing takes more than just letting them roam free. What and how much you feed is critical. So how much feed should you give your turkeys each day? Let’s take a detailed look at turkey nutrition.
Turkey Feed Requirements Change with Age
Turkey feed requirements vary based on the bird’s age and stage of development. The vitamins, minerals, and protein levels they need shift over time. Here’s an overview:
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Poults (0-8 weeks): Require high protein feed about 24-28% to fuel rapid growth. Also need higher calcium for bone development.
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Growing turkeys (8-16 weeks) Still need moderate to high protein level around 16-24% as they continue growing. Calcium levels can be reduced somewhat
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Finishing turkeys (16 weeks-market) Focus is on weight gain so lower protein around 14-18% is okay, Calcium and phosphorus should be balanced,
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Breeder hens Need feed with higher calcium around 2.5-3.5% for egg production. Moderate protein around 16%.
Matching feed nutrition levels to the birds’ growth stage is crucial for health. Let’s look at how much they need at each phase.
Poults (0-8 Weeks): Feed Consumption
Poults grow extremely fast, nearly doubling their hatch weight in just two weeks! This rapid growth requires a lot of nutrition. Here’s a guide to feed amounts:
- Week 1: About 1/4 pound (115g) per poult per day
- Week 2: Around 1/3 pound (150g) per poult daily
- Week 3: Approximately 1/2 pound (225g) per poult per day
- Week 4: About 2/3 pound (300g) per poult daily
- Week 5: Around 3/4 pound (340g) per poult per day
- Week 6-8: Up to 1 pound (450g) per poult daily
Feed poults a starter ration formulated for young turkeys, usually in crumble form for easier eating. Provide feed free-choice so they can eat as needed.
Growing Turkeys (8-16 Weeks): Feed Intake
As poults transition into the growing phase from 8-16 weeks, their feed intake steadily rises to support continued growth and weight gain. Here are the approximate amounts they’ll consume:
- Week 9: Around 1 1⁄4 pounds (565g) per turkey daily
- Week 10: Approximately 1 1⁄2 pounds (680g) per turkey per day
- Week 11: Near 2 pounds (900g) per turkey daily
- Week 12: Around 2 1⁄4 pounds (1020g) per turkey per day
- Week 13: Up to 2 1⁄2 pounds (1135g) per turkey daily
- Week 14-16: Up to 3 pounds (1360g) per turkey per day
Feed a grower ration with moderate protein levels. Continue free-choice feeding for optimal growth.
Finishing Turkeys (16 Weeks-Market): Feed Required
In the finishing stage, turkeys eat steadily to put on the last pounds before processing. Here are the general feed amounts:
- Week 17-18: Up to 3 1⁄2 pounds (1590g) per turkey daily
- Week 19-20: Around 4 pounds (1815g) per turkey per day
- Week 21-22: Up to 5 pounds (2270g) per turkey daily
- Week 23-24: Around 5 1⁄2 pounds (2500g) per turkey per day
- Week 25-26: Near 6 pounds (2725g) per turkey daily
Transition to a finisher feed with lower protein around 14-18%. Free-choice feeding lets them eat to meet calorie needs.
Breeders: How Much to Feed
Mature breeder hens don’t require as much feed as growing birds but have higher calcium needs for egg production. Guidelines are:
- Laying hens: Give around 0.25 pounds (115g) per hen daily.
- Non-laying hens: Feed 0.2 pounds (90g) per hen per day.
- Toms: Provide 0.33 pounds (150g) per tom daily.
Feed a breeder ration with 16% protein and over 3% calcium. Limit feed somewhat to prevent obesity.
Other Turkey Feeding Tips
To get the most out of your feed and keep turkeys performing well, keep these tips in mind:
- Prevent waste by using good feeders that limit spillage.
- Feed twice per day rather than free-choice if waste becomes an issue.
- Provide grit or coarse sand for better digestion, especially if birds forage much.
- Ensure plenty of fresh water — turkeys drink lots!
- Try sprouted grains for extra nutrition.
- Supplement with garden produce like chopped greens or squash when possible.
Following the feeding guidelines for the turkey’s age and making sure feed is the right nutrition formula is key to raising healthy, thriving birds. Knowing just how much feed per turkey per day to provide will help your flock thrive.
How Much Food Should Turkeys Have?
For freshly hatched chicks, I use a hanging feeder large enough to hold close to a 50-pound bag of 28% protein turkey feed, which means I don’t have to replenish it too often.Food needs to always be available to both your poults and your adult turkeys, but in their first few weeks of life, each chick will only eat about 10.9 pounds of feed. That means that if you’re only raising a few poults, a 50-pound bag will last you quite a while.
Making sure that they’re eating throughout the day is fine at this stage. By the time your poults grow into adult turkeys, they’ll get close to half of their nutrition from grazing grass and eating other wild and garden plants, but even adults will need a 20% grower feed to fill in the other half of their diet.
In the 18 to 20 weeks they take to grow to the correct weight for meat (if you’re planning on butchering), your turkeys will eat approximately 60 to 100 pounds of feed per bird.
How Much Food Does A Turkey Eat Per Day?
What your turkeys will eat in an average day depends on whether your turkeys are toms or hens, or if your flock is a mix of both. Adult toms can eat up to 2.5 cups of feed per day, while some hens eat as little as 2/3 of a cup in an average day. I have two toms and three hens in my flock, and I go through an average of 7 to 8 cups of feed daily.
Heritage Turkey Feeding Strategy and Custom Feed Mix
FAQ
How many pounds of feed does a turkey eat per day?
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Bird Age
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Feed Type
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1 Bird
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Week 1
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Starter 24%
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0.5 lbs
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Week 2
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Starter 24%
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1.0 lbs
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Week 3
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Starter 22%
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1.4 lbs
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Week 4
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Starter 22%
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1.6 lbs
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What is the feed ration for a turkey?
What is the feed conversion ratio for turkeys?
What is the feeding regime for turkey?
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Age of Birds
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Approximate Feed Consumption
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Week 1
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10 – 20 grams / bird / day
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Week 2
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20 – 30 grams / bird / day
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Week 4
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70 – 100 grams / bird / day
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Week 6
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110 – 160 grams / bird / day
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