Impacts of an energy sparing feed additive on turkeys fed titrating reduced energy diets

Authors: WILSON, BROOKE - Iowa State University; Kerr, Brian; RAMIREZ, BRETT - Iowa State University; KOLTES, DAWN - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2025
Publication Date: 4/3/2025
Citation: Wilson, B.A., Kerr, B.J., Ramirez, B.C., Koltes, D.A. 2025. Impacts of an energy sparing feed additive on turkeys fed titrating reduced energy diets. Poultry Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105046.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105046

Interpretive Summary: Fats and oils are often added to diets fed to growing turkeys to increase dietary energy levels. However, if these lipid sources are expensive or poorly digested, identifying alternative strategies to meet the energy requirements of growing turkeys is critical to maintaining optimal growth rates and carcass composition. An energy-sparing feed additive composed of calcium propionate, propylene glycol, DL-methionine, and vitamin B12 was fed to growing turkeys to evaluate its ability to modulate turkey growth and carcass composition in energy-reduced diets. Results of this study suggest that this energy-sparing feed additive could be used in energy-reduced diets and resulting in similar turkey performance and carcass composition compared to birds fed higher energy density diets. This information is important for nutritionists at universities, feed companies, and turkey production facilities to formulate diets to meet the energy needs for growing turkeys, thereby providing a basis from which to assess its economic and caloric value in feed formulation.

Technical Abstract: Providing amino acids, energy, and minerals are costly dietary components in formulating diets for turkeys, with corn, soybean meal, and oils being of utmost interest due to their percent inclusion levels. In addition, the highest feed consumption occurs in the grower-finisher (GF) phase of production making diet formulation during this period of growth critically important. Reducing feed cost through reductions in expensive energy sources (e.g., fats) in a turkey diet while maintaining performance and carcass traits could greatly benefit turkey production profitability. The current study evaluated the effects of the addition of a commercial energy sparing feed additive (Enercore®, Biosen LLC) in a series of reducing energy diets. Dietary treatments included a commercial control diet (CON) and 3 experimental diets with different levels of reduced Kcal to equal a 50 Kcal/kg deficit (ESFA 1), 70 Kcal/kg deficit (ESFA 2), and 100 Kcal/kg deficit (ESFA 3) with the inclusion of 1 kg/tonne of Enercore. At placement, 1,800 male turkeys were evenly placed across dietary treatments (n=8 per treatment) and provided their dietary treatment through 18 wk of age. Body weights and feed weights were taken every 5 wk and before loadout. At 17 wk of age, one tom per pen was weighed and euthanized to determine breast yield and deboned thigh yield. Body weights and mortality percent were similar across diets at the end of 18 wk of age (P > 0.140). Whereas, mortality-adjusted FCR was altered with dietary treatment with toms fed ESFA 2 having the lowest mortality-adjusted FCR (P < 0.001) compared to all other dietary treatments. For carcass measurements, live weights of birds sampled, breast yield, and deboned thigh yield were similar between treatments (P > 0.220). In conclusion, removal of 50 and 70 Kcal/kg of energy in turkey diets supplemented with an energy sparing feed additive did not significantly alter body weight or carcass yield but only the removal of 70 Kcal/kg with the ESFA, Enercore®, improved feed conversion.