Is it possible to feed turkeys with boiled potatoes: when and how best to give

Keeping turkeys is a responsible business. No one dares to leave a bird hungry. Nevertheless, poultry farmers strive to make their farm the least expensive. Few people do not grow potatoes. Therefore, it is very important to know whether it is possible to feed turkeys with raw or boiled potatoes, from what age and in what quantities. Are there situations when the use of a vegetable as feed should be abandoned?

Can I feed potatoes to turkeys?

A poultry farmer can pursue different goals. In accordance with them, various tactics for rearing turkeys are used:

quickly feed the birds for meat;
get more eggs;
enable pets to slowly grow up in almost natural conditions, moving a lot and eating greens and insects.

In all cases, a living organism requires a certain set of organic and mineral elements consumed during feeding to maintain he alth. Turkeys need:

proteins for the formation of the skeleton, muscles and other tissues;
carbohydrates as a building material and relatively high-calorie product;
fats as a mobile energy source;
fiber makes you feel full and helps your digestive process;
vitamins are necessary for the production of enzymes that speed up metabolism, strengthen immunity;
minerals regulate metabolism, are part of enzymes, participate in the formation of the skeleton, regulate acid-base balance.

What will a turkey get from a potato?

Various factors influence the chemical composition of a vegetable. Among them:

weather;
applying or not fertilizing;
thorough care of culture;
variety;
soil type;
degree of maturity;
duration and storage conditions.

The average values of the content of valuable components in potatoes were calculated.

Percentage 0.1Other organics1.6Minerals1,1

Water	75
Starch	18.2
Sugar	1.5
Fiber	1
Raw Protein	2
Fat

Due to the large amount of starch, potatoes are one of the most high-calorie vegetables. The protein contained in potatoes is part of the blood of animals. The proteins of such a familiar vegetable in terms of biological value are in second place after meat and eggs. Most grain crops are inferior to them in this indicator. This conclusion is based on the high content of amino acids in potatoes, including essential ones.

With the constant use of boiled tubers by turkeys, their diet will be enriched with sufficient amounts of vitamin C, potassium and phosphorus even without the use of premixes. Potatoes also contain a lot of iron and calcium. The linolenic acid from the fat of this product is a true boon for turkeys, as it cannot be produced in their bodies, although they need it.

How to give potatoes?

Complementary foods in the form of boiled and then pounded vegetables in their own broth begin to be added to turkey poults, starting from the 3rd week of life.First - 5-7 g per head per day, from two months - 50-60 g each. Then the amount is tied to the weight of the bird.

Daily consumption of potatoes per 1 turkey, g	Live weight, kg
100-120	4
200	5-7
300	7 or more

Potatoes are boiled, washed from dirt, unpeeled. The skin contains the largest amount of trace elements, and the pulp near it contains proteins. It is desirable to add compound feed made for birds of a certain age to this mixture. Young growth 1-2 months is desirable to feed 4 times a day. Later, the number of meals is reduced to 2-3 times.

When should you not give?

Eating potatoes prevents blood clotting. Injuries with violation of the skin and muscles in turkeys are extremely rare. But just in case, it is useful to know that it is undesirable to feed potatoes to such a bird during the healing period.

A vegetable stored in the light accumulates solanine. Its increased presence is easily identified by the greenish tint of the tubers.

The more solanine, the richer the green color. It has been scientifically proven that the named substance harms not only the human body, but also birds. Eaten in large quantities, green tubers can cause serious poisoning.