Producing the best feed for turkey production takes more than choosing a mash or pelleted version. It also includes maintaining quality from processing to the feeder.
“What happens at the feed mill to the feed pan all have implications on turkeys,” stated Dawn Koltes, PhD, Iowa State University (ISU), at the 2025 PEAK conference. “If you have pelleted feeds, maybe the pellets are not the quality you want. Or in a mash diet, certain feed particles are too large or too small. These impact feed efficiency.”
She cited a 2019 study from the UK comparing the feed efficiency of different quality pelleted feeds. Turkeys fed a 100% pelleted diet gained 1.5 pounds more per bird in 20 weeks than turkeys fed a pelleted diet with 25% fines, and 2.5 pounds more than birds fed pellets with 50% fines.
Koltes, assistant professor of animal science at ISU, discussed the implications of feed form and quality on turkey growth during her presentation.
Processing considerations, concerns
“The purpose of feed processing falls under aiding digestion,” Koltes said. “The turkey gastrointestinal tract is efficient at taking carbohydrates, proteins and lipids and breaking them into smaller particles that can cross the lumen into the blood supply, where the birds can utilize them.”
Processing corn, soybeans and wheat will crack open the grains, increasing the surface area available for enzymes such as proteases, amylases, carbohydrases and lipases to engage with in the digestive system. Without processing, the feed will not be as effectively digested by the birds, she explained.
Next, the fats, micronutrients, vitamins and minerals are added to the grains to make a complete feed.
Mash diets less expensive
“Producing a mash diet is pretty simple,” Koltes said. “We weigh the components and mix it. It’s also cheaper than pelleting because it doesn’t require the pelleting process.”
Particle size is very important for mash diets because too large of particles can lead to nutrient sorting. “That means the fines, vitamins and premixes will settle to the bottom and birds will not consume them so they will not be getting a well-balanced diet,” she said.
Feed flow can be a problem with mash diets at the feed pan. The mash can form a hard cone in the feed bin and reduce the amount of feed flowing down for the turkeys to eat. Feed bins must be monitored for cones to make sure turkeys have full access to the mash.
Pelleted diet pluses
“With pelleting, the cold mash runs through a conditioner where heat and moisture are added, and the mash starts sticking together,” Koltes said. “The conditioned hot mash is forced through the pellet mill and becomes pellets. The pellets are then cooled to prevent sticking together and breaking apart.”
Pelleted turkey feed offers several benefits compared to a mash diet. For example, pellets are easier to transport and flow more smoothly in feeding systems.
“Pellets also decrease feed dust, not only in the feed mill but also in the barn,” Koltes said. “Pellets have less nutrient sorting, too, because everything is contained and uniform in a pellet.
“Disadvantages are an increase in cost to make the pellets,” she added. “Additionally, there is a science to making pellets. These pellets require understanding all the ingredients that go into them, and that changes with different diets.”
Better weight gain with pellets
While most research on bird feed efficiency goes back decades, Koltes noted similar results in recent trials, which are limited.
“Across the whole cycle, we see turkeys fed pelleted diets have an increase in bodyweight gain compared to those fed a mash diet,” she stated. “Even today, we still see these trends show up time after time.
“We also see birds fed pelleted diets have lower intake and improved feed efficiency [than a mash],” she said. “Birds eat less food and gain at a higher rate.”
In addition, Koltes noted that birds fed pelleted diets spend less time at the feeders. The theory is that the birds consume the amount of feed needed to fulfill their energy requirement and then walk away.
In conclusion, turkeys need a quality diet that provides essential nutrients in a palatable form to promote efficient growth. “But clearly, birds with pellet diets have better efficiency than birds fed a mash diet,” she said.
