Impacts of Grit in Mash Turkey Diets on Performance

Turkey poult performance can be dramatically impacted by many management practices, including how the feed is presented to the bird. During a recent study, poults were provided a mash diet, which is noted to alter feed intake and feed conversion. To overcome these poorer outcomes, producers will alter feed particle size and/or include items in the feed such as grit to increase grinding capacity of the gizzard and increase feed conversion. This study added grit to mash diets with higher corn particle size to determine the impacts on body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion. Data from this study found that with larger feed particle size, not adding grit improved feed intake and feed conversion only at the end of the production (19 weeks); however, did not alter body weight, suggesting the additional costs, labor, and equipment wear if mixed grit in the feed, do not impact performance and may be a detriment if feed particle size is appropriate.