Adjustments to turkeys’ diets beneficial for environment

posted on November 16, 2011 4:40pm

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – With Thanksgiving around the corner, only turkey will satisfy the cravings of many Americans. This holiday, as you doze off into your tryptophan-induced nap, you can relax knowing Michigan State University (MSU) scientists are working toward a cleaner environment through research on the diet of the Thanksgiving dinner staple. MSU researchers aim to reduce air emissions and water runoff by adjusting turkeys’ diets.

“Protein is an essential nutrient for animals, but what is not used by the animal is excreted. The excretion can result in nutrients losses to water, through runoff or leaching, or air, through volatilization,” Zifei Liu, MSU research associate and MSU Extension specialist, said. “We are trying to find a balance in turkeys’ diets to maintain performance and reduce excess nutrients being excreted.”

Researchers from MSU have been supplementing crude proteins and amino acids in turkeys’ diets to find a diet that retains the most nutrients. This type of diet will reduce the amount of excretion produced by the birds.

The researchers monitored turkeys during a 140-day period in 12 environmentally controlled pens. They fed the turkeys one of four diets. By controlling the turkeys’ diets, the researchers determined the amount of emissions produced as a result of each diet.

“The turkeys were fed a diet supplemented with two amino acids, lysine and methionine, or three amino acids, lysine, methionine and threonine,” Liu said. “Supplementing with amino acids allows the turkeys to get their nutritional needs and reduce protein consumption. More efficiently using the protein leads to less excretion produced by the turkeys.”

The turkeys that ate a diet supplemented with three amino acids were more efficient in digesting protein, and they retained 10 percent more nitrogen, a component of amino acids and protein, than those fed diets supplemented with two amino acids. The turkeys fed diets supplemented with three amino acids also emitted less ammonia than those fed diets supplemented with two amino acids.

Adding amino acids to turkeys’ diets will have no effect on consumers. Turkeys fed these diets are the same in size and taste as other turkeys. The amino acids are safe for human consumption. In fact, you can find amino acids in protein shakes and in supplements that athletes consume.

Liu feels confident the diet will reduce costs for farmers and improve the general welfare of the turkeys.

“Hopefully this and future research will provide livestock operators with more options to confront environmental and economical challenges,” Liu said. “Nutrient management is another step toward a cleaner planet.”