Abstract
The calcium and phosphorus requirements, phosphorus availability, and leg weakness research for turkeys have been reviewed. Dietary calcium requirements ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 percent. The total phosphorus requirements as reviewed from 0.4 to 1.0 percent for turkeys. Phytin phosphorus has been shown to have a low availability for turkeys. Experiment I was conducted to determine the response of Broad Breasted White turkeys none to twenty-four weeks of age to vegetable protein (soybean-grain) and vegetable-fish protein (soybean-fish-grain) type diets with various inorganic phosphorus levels.; Dietary inorganic phosphorus levels employed were 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 percent. Highly significant differences in body weight gains resulted between turkeys fed 0.4 percent inorganic phosphorus and turkeys fed 0.3 or 0.5 percent inorganic phosphorus. The effect of protein source on body weight gains was non-significant in this experiment. The most efficient gaining turkeys in this study were fed diets containing 0.4 percent inorganic phosphorus. Incidence of leg weakness in turkeys was very low for females while males were four times as severely affected. The severity of leg weakness in male turkeys was reduced 50 percent by feeding 0.4 to 0.5 percent inorganic phosphorus. A second experiment determined the response of growing turkeys to diets containing a monosodium phosphate and potassium phosphate combination, dicalcium phosphate and defluorinated phosphate. Phosphorus requirements, phosphorus availability and the incidence of leg weakness were determined. The hatching to twenty-six week old Broad Breasted Bronze male turkeys were fed isocaloric-isonitrogenous diets containing four dietary levels of inorganic phosphorus (0.40, 0.55, 0.70, and 0.85 percent). A calcium:inorganic phosphorus ratio of 1.86: 1 for all sources, except defluorinated phosphate at a ratio of 2.15: 1, was used. Four strains of turkeys ('A' 'B', 'C' and 'D') were used in each experimental pen to determine the effect of strain of turkeys, level and source of dietary inorganic phosphorus on the incidence of leg weakness..
Strandlee, William J. (1963). Calcium and phosphorus requirements of growing turkeys and the incidence of leg weakness. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -172830.