If you’ve reared chickens before, then raising turkeys won’t be much of an issue for you. That’s because turkeys like chicken are easy to breed so long as you have the best turkey feed.
Turkeys thrive on foods rich in proteins which is why you need to ensure you pick the ideal feed. How do you do that, though? You can start by going through our list of the best feeds for turkeys.
Let’s get started immediately.
Our Top Pick – Best Turkey Feed
Our top pick for the best turkey feed is Nutrena Country Feeds for turkeys. Not only does it contain the right mix of nutrients, but it is also multipurpose. You can feed it to a variety of birds and even animals as well.
The crumbled form feed attracts turkeys and they grow faster. Proper bone development and a strong digestive system are ensured by the nutrients and vitamins of this feed.
This feed is beneficial for both starter and raising game birds. You will get strong, healthy, and beautiful feathered birds.
Top Turkey Feed Brands
There are several brands of turkey feed. Here is the list of the most popular turkey feed brands:
8 Best Turkey Feeds
The ideal turkey feed should contain all the required nutrients and also they shouldn’t be heavy on budget. Let’s take a look at the top turkey feeds.
1. Bearded Hen Wild Turkey Feed
Kicking off our list is the Bearded Hen Wild Turkey feed. This feed has numerous minerals that will enable your Toms and Hens to grow strong and mature faster.
Its probiotics, vitamins, minerals, and grit will help promote healthy birds in your backyard. Not only will this feed improve eggshell formation, but it will also work on the digestive health of your turkeys.
You will be glad to hear that this feed has all-natural ingredients. It is free of GMOs or any other ingredients that wouldn’t be helpful to your birds. Furthermore, it is free of medications, antibiotics, or any added animal fats and proteins.
When feeding your turkeys, half a cup of the feed should be enough depending on the number of birds you own. The colorful seeds should attract the birds to the feed. While feeding them, ensure the ground you put the feed is dry so the birds can eat easily.
To increase access to the fortified vitamins and the minerals this feed has, you will have to feed your turkeys as often as possible. Turkeys aren’t too picky with feed, and you should therefore have no issues feeding them.
The feed also contains particular amounts of grit. The grit will aid in the digestion of the feed, ensuring faster digestion. Your birds will also get the added benefit of minerals such as calcium and limestone.
This is an ideal feed if you want robust turkeys. The following product on our list should satisfy you if you think this one doesn’t fit the bill.
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2. Nutrena Country Feeds for Turkeys
Nutrena country feeds is a famous poultry feed company. It manufactures healthy feeds for different kinds of poultry to ensure most birds grow into strong mature hens, turkeys or ducks.
This turkey feed isn’t any different from the other Nutrena feeds. That’s because it is complete with nutrients that will ensure strong bone development in turkeys, especially if they are game birds.
The feed is fortified with nutrients, minerals, and all the essential vitamins your bird needs. These nutrients are ideal if you want to raise a healthy, strong gamebird.
It contains optimum levels of essential amino acids and the ideal energy sources that promote muscle growth. The feed also encourages the development of beautiful feathers on the birds.
One thing that you will love about this feed is the crumbled form. Birds love to feed in that form as it is easier for them to feed on. You, therefore, won’t have too many problems convincing your birds to eat the feed.
This is a convenient feed that should have your turkeys growing faster. It is an excellent option if you want to have an easy time feeding your turkeys, thanks to the crumble form.
Will the next feed be as nutritious and convenient? Read on to find out.
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3. Purina Gamebird and Turkey Feed
If you have young turkeys in the 0 to 8 weeks old range, you can’t do any better than selecting this feed. That’s because it is packed with the right nutrients for turkeys that young and any other exotic birds.
Its standout feature is the vitamin C it will give you to your birds. Vitamin C is a vital nutrient when the bird is going through heat stress. The vitamin will ensure the bird withstands duress from the heat and that it comes out stronger.
What we loved most about this feed is that it has a high protein content. The thirty percent protein component will ensure healthy muscle development and growth of muscle in young turkeys.
Since the feed is ideal for young birds, it is in the appropriate crumble size for them. It is in a small digestible size to ensure your chicks have an easy time feeding and digesting the feed.
The wide array of vitamins in this turkey feed is another thing you will love with this feed. It has vitamins A, B, D, E, and K that will be crucial if your bird grows into a healthy and robust adult.
While everyone might want their young chicks to grow healthy and strong, you might find that this feed isn’t ideal for more mature birds. Check the next feed on our list if you are of that opinion.
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4. Homestead Harvest Turkey Feed
This feed prides itself on its non-GMO ingredients that ensure it will be a safe feed for your turkeys. The grains in this feed will give your birds minerals, probiotics, and other natural supplements that should help you rear strong and healthy birds.
In addition to the nutrients above, this feed also has diatomaceous earth and an essential mix of herbs and oils. Those will enable your birds to have immunity and improve digestive health.
Since birds need adequate protein, you will need a feed that will ensure that. This feed has a 24 percent protein content that ensures your birds aren’t protein deficient. The proteins will aid in muscle and bone formation.
This feed is also multipurpose, and you can thus feed it even to other birds such as chickens and ducks. Its essential blend of nutrients ensures the birds grow into strong, healthy adults.
Overall, this is an ideal feed if you are looking to have robust and active birds. Its mix of oils, herbs, and other natural ingredients will help you raise your turkeys into the healthy birds you want.
Have a look at the next product in our list to see whether it would come close to this feed regarding nutrient level.
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5. New Country Organics Turkey Grower Feed
This soy-free feed is another excellent option for your growing turkeys. Its 23 percent protein content means you will have the ideal feed to ensure you have your birds grow strong from a young age.
It has a balanced mix of nutrients that will encourage the growth of your birds. Most times, any owner would want their turkeys to grow rapidly and have adequate muscle development. This feed will ensure that.
In addition to the proteins, it also has omega 3 fatty acids to ensure your bird has strong immunity. If you dispense the feed in the right amounts, you won’t have to worry about poultry diseases like arteriosclerosis thanks to the omega 3 fatty acids.
Also, this feed has a considerable content of probiotics. Probiotics are essential for the immunity of the birds against poultry diseases and also aid in digestion.
If you want a healthy source of proteins and probiotics for your birds, this feed will satisfy that. However, if you think it wouldn’t fit the bill, maybe the next feed on our list will try.
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6. Scratch and Peck Feeds for Turkeys
This feed is among your best bets if you are looking for a safe, healthy, and all-natural feed for your turkeys. That’s because it is a certified organic no-GMO feed that should have no health side effects for your birds.
The Scratch and Peck feed is soy-free and full of carbohydrates. The organic corn used to make this feed ensures your turkeys have all the energy they need to grow and function. That energy will also come in handy in the cold season.
What we loved about the feed is that it is raw and unprocessed. Raw and unprocessed feeds are usually easier for birds to digest and absorb. That ensures maximum nutrient absorption by the birds. It also makes it the ideal feed to ferment before feeding your turkeys.
For additional proteins, this feed has a flax meal. In addition to that, it also has omega 3 acids that boost the immunity of the birds to poultry diseases. The 20.5 percent protein content means your bird will have the optimal nutritional requirements.
This organic feed will be a popular choice if you need a safe feed for your birds. Its all-natural ingredients free of GMO will ensure your birds have all they need to grow healthy and strong.
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7. CountryMax Cracked Corn for Turkeys
The CountryMax cracked turkey corn is a multipurpose feed that is ideal for turkeys and other poultry such as ducks and chicken. Additionally, you can also feed it to animals if you feel like it.
What makes it so unique, though? It is colorful and will attract your turkeys to eat it. The cracked corn component means you can either feed it by itself or mix it with other feeds to attain the ideal balance of nutrients.
It is also one of the best feeds for turkey since it uses fresh corn as a primary ingredient. You don’t have to worry about your turkeys eating unhealthy feeds full of GMOs and other manufactured feeds.
Since the feed is cracked corn, you can feed it to the turkeys on the ground. You have to remember to feed them on dry ground, though, since wet ground might make the turkey’s snob the corn.
In addition to the protein content, this feed also has a proper mix of other nutrients your birds will need. It is also full of carbohydrates that ensure your birds are full of energy.
Your birds should love this feed. If they don’t, you have the option of choosing the next feed on our list.
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8. Kalmbach Turkey Feeds
Ending our list is the Kalmbach turkey feed. This is a medicated feed that contains amprolium that will help your bird fight against coccidiosis. You can only feed it to your bird as the sole source of amprolium.
Apart from amprolium, it also has a balanced mix of probiotics, prebiotics, protective enzymes, and essential oils. Those nutrients are responsible for proper immune and healthy digestive functioning.
This feed also has adequate protein and amino acids that will promote strong muscle development and skeleton strength. That is one reason why it is among the best wild turkey feed.
The Kalmbach feed prides itself on safe ingredients that will have no problematic side effects for your turkeys. It is also free of GMO products that would have been detrimental to the health of your turkeys.
If you are to feed this to your turkeys, you will have to avoid feeds that contain bentonite. If you have broilers and finishing turkeys, this feed is the ideal feed for them.
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How to Choose the Best Turkey Feed
Before buying turkey feed, there are a few things you need to consider. Of course, the price will be a significant factor, but you also need to consider the nutrients your turkeys need. Have a look at some of the things you need to remember when buying turkey feed.
How much feed will your turkeys need?
The amount of feed your turkeys eat should be known to you. That means you will have to consider the quantity of the feed before buying. Turkeys usually eat several times a day and will thus need several feedings.
It would be best if you chose a feed in a quantity enough to last you quite some time when feeding the turkeys.
What nutrients should your turkeys have?
Turkeys, like any other birds, need several nutrients to grow strong and healthy. Proteins are a significant nutrient for turkeys since they aid in muscle and skeletal development. Omega 3 fatty acids, among other nutrients, also have an essential role to play in turkey nutrition.
When buying turkey feed, ensure you look at the nutrients and whether the feed would satisfy the nutritional needs of your birds. The feed should have a proper balance of nutrients that ensures there won’t be a deficiency of a particular nutrient in your birds.
The ingredients of the feed
Although turkeys are hardy birds, you still have to look at the ingredients of the feed you are buying. That will ensure there aren’t any ingredients that would harm your birds. It is also crucial to check if the feed is made from all-natural ingredients or has additives that your turkey could be allergic to.
While considering the ingredients, it would be foolhardy not to consider whether the feed has any GMO. Different birds will react differently to GMO feeds, which means you should know whether feeds have any.
Some feeds will have the grit that aids in the digestion of food by the birds. You will also need to consider this. You might end up with a feed that contains too much grit instead of the actual feed.
The cost of the feed
The cost of the feed should be a top consideration since you won’t want to go for an overly expensive feed. Although some feeds have all the nutritional requirements, they come at rather exorbitant prices.
You should consider the price to know if your budget allows you to go for these overly expensive feeds. Not all the costly feeds are worth it. That means you shouldn’t ignore cheaper feeds as they might also have the nutrients your birds need.
How to Know you have the Correct Feed
Most people tend to think birds such as turkeys can eat almost anything. That isn’t entirely true since some foods could be detrimental to the health of your turkeys, especially their chicks.
If you don’t see any side effects after feeding a new type of feed to your turkeys, that is a sign you got it right. The turkeys will gobble up all or most of the feed they find palatable.
If your turkeys don’t become picky with the feed you give them, it also means you nailed it on the feed to provide them with. It is easy to spot unwillingness to eat a particular feed in any bird, let alone turkeys.
If you consider the factors, we have highlighted above, you won’t have any issues selecting the best turkey feed brand for your turkey.
The Bottom Line
Like any other birds, Turkeys need all the nutrients they can get to grow into strong, healthy adults. Whether you are keeping them as pets, for food or as gamebirds, you need to ensure they have all the nutrients they need by giving them the best turkey feed.
With our list of the best eight, we hope you find it easier to take care of your turkeys by giving them a balanced diet of feeds. Carefully weigh the nutrients available in each feed and the ingredients before buying.
Choosing the best feed for turkey isn’t a complicated thing, as some people wouldn’t want you to believe. You just have to be armed with our guide, and you will find it a breeze.
All the best!