December 3, 2007

US researchers feeding DDGS to turkeys to lower feed costs 
 

Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station researchers are experimenting with feeding corn distiller grains to turkeys to lower costs.

The study looked into five barns that occupy the field-research site in UMore Park, Minnesota, a testing ground for about 7,600 birds.

Sally Noll, poultry specialist, said researchers are studying the effects of feeding corn distiller grains, a by-product of ethanol production, to turkeys. While distilled corn is less nutritious, Noll explained that turkeys could still have a diet of up to 30 percent of the ethanol byproduct.

The study is geared to help producers be more cost-efficient in the face of rising corn prices.

A turkey eats around 120 pounds of feed in his lifetime, while a hen eats 35 pounds of feed.

Minnesota is the largest turkey producer in the US, supplying 46 million birds each year.