The effect of protein and dietary energy levels and housing regime on production and reproduction parameters of turkey hens.

Two experiments were conducted using 960 Large Board Breasted White turkey hens to measure the effect of diet and confinement housing versus range pens on egg production, fertility and hatchability. A 2 X 3 factorial arrangement of diets provided protein levels of 15 and 18% with metabolizable energy levels of 2666, 2893, and 3101 kcal. per kg. of diet. The hens were randomized into 24 range pens and 24 pens in an open-sided house. Dietary protein levels had no effect on body weight, feed consumption, egg production, fertility or hatchability. Hens fed the higher energy diet produced larger eggs (P less than .05), but there was no difference in total egg production due to dietary energy level. As dietary energy level increased, feed consumption linearly decreased. Hens fed the 3102 kcal./M.E./kg. diet had significantly higher fertility (P less than .05) than hens fed the intermediate energy level diet with no differences between the lowest energy level and either of the other two levels. Fertile eggs from hens fed the intermediate energy level diet had lower hatchability (P less than .05) than those from hens fed either the lower or higher dietary energy levels. Type of housing and no effect on average body weight or feed consumption on a hen-day basis. Housing treatment had no effect on percent fertility or hatchability. Hens housed in the range pens produced more and larger eggs (P less than .05) and more eggs per kg. of feed than hens penned in the house.