The effect of grain component of the diet on the response of turkey poults to vitamin D3 and penicillin.

Three experiments were conducted with turkey poults to study the effects of the grain component of the diet (corn or rye), added fat, penicillin or extra vitamin D on growth and bone ash. In the first trial, where rye replaced corn in the diet, growth was depressed and the pults were rachitic before two weeks of age. Adding fat or penicillin to the rye containing diets significantly improved growth and increased bone ash. In the second trial, adding extra vitamin D3 or penicillin to a diet with rye increased both growth and bone ash. Diets containing either corn or rye were used in the third trial and the results again showed that extra vitamin D or penicillin markedly improved growth and bone ash when added to the diets with rye but did not significantly increase growth of poults on the diets with corn. Bone ash of turkeys fed the corn diets was significantly increased by a combination of extra vitamin D3 and penicillin.