Compensatory growth in turkeys: Effect of undernutrition on subsequent protein requirements

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Abstract
An adequate and a low protein starter diet (29 and 20 per cent crude protein respectively) were fed from o to 6 weeks of age. The poults receiving only 20 per cent protein were 17 per cent lighter at 6 weeks than the fully fed group. Turkeys from each treatment were then fed one of five levels of protein from 6 to 10 weeks of age. After 10 weeks all groups were fed adequate levels of protein to allow undernourished poults to exhibit compensatory growth. The percentage protein required for maximum growth in the 6 to 10‐week stage was similar whether turkeys had been fully fed or undernourished from 0 to 6 weeks. But the “ effective “ percentage of protein required in the 6 to 10‐week stage, defined as the level which subsequently allowed maximum body weight at 20 weeks of age, was less for initially fully fed birds. This was because they had smaller growth deficits at 10 weeks and consequently made faster recovery in the limited time allowed. Turkeys fed 29 and 17 per cent protein or 20 and 22 per cent protein in starter and grower diets respectively reached the same live‐weight at 20 weeks as fully fed turkeys which received 29 per cent protein from o to 6 weeks and 24 per cent protein from 6 to 10 weeks. The compensating turkeys ate about the same total weight of food as fully fed groups, but had a 10 per cent lower total protein intake.

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