title: Beak trimming of turkeys. 2. Effects of arc beak trimming on weight gain, feed intake, feed wastage, and feed conversion.
abstract: An experiment was conducted to study the effects of arc beak trimming on feed consumption, weight gain, and feed wastage in males and females from two large-bodied strains and one medium-bodied strain of turkeys. Birds were placed in wire-floored battery cages from 3 to 8 wk of age and feed intake, weight gains, and feed spilled into dropping pans were recorded for each of the 5 wk of each trial. Feed conversion was calculated as feed consumed divided by weight gained. Sex by beak trimming interactions were not found. Beak trimming reduced feed wastage of the two large-bodied strains, but did not affected feed wastage of the medium-bodied strain, which did not consume as much feed as the large-bodied strains. The results of this study support the hypothesis that beak trimming reduces feed wastage of large-bodied turkeys.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University, Wooster 44691, USA.
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Noble
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Nestor
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001502:Beak / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D004063:Digestion / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014422:Turkeys / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*