Effect of physical feed restriction during rearing on large white turkey breeder hens: 1. Growth performance

Large White turkey breeder hens were fed ad libitum (CC), feed-restricted from 16 to 24 wk (CR), feed-restricted from 3 to 16 wk (RC), or feed-restricted from 3 to 24 wk (RR). Feed restriction was implemented so that RC and RR hens achieved a 45% reduction in BW compared to CC hens at 16 wk. From 16 to 24 wk, feed was allotted to RR and CR hens to maintain a slight increase in BW. At the completion of each restriction period, hens were gradually released back to ad libitum feeding. At 30 wk of age, hens were photostimulated for a 20-wk summer season egg production cycle. Mean BW for all treatments were different (P less than or equal to 0.05) at 16 and 30 wk. At the end of lay, hens on treatment CR were riot different in BW from treatment CC hens, and treatment RR hens were not different in BW from treatment RC hens. Hens on treatment RR had the greatest BW gain,and feed consumption leading into the production cycle. All treatment hens lost BW from the time of first egg until 47 wk of age. Hens on treatment CC lost significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) more relative BW (%) than those in any other treatment. Coefficient of variation for flock uniformity was similar for all treatments at time of photostimulation. At the end of the study, cumulative feed consumption was significantly less for restricted treatments: 86.5, 83.1, 75.8, and 70.7 kg/hen for treatments CC, CR, RC, and RR, respectively.