Research note: Impacts on turkey health when fed titrating reduced energy diets with an energy sparing feed additive

The source of energy in turkey diets is one of the highest feed costs per unit to turkey producers. Reducing the cost by reducing energy concentration in a turkey diet while maintaining performance and health would economically benefit turkey producers. The reduction of energy may, however, impact immune competency, metabolism, and bone structure by diverting energy to sustain growth. This study evaluated the effects of the addition of a commercial energy sparing feed additive (ESFA) product. Dietary treatments included a control diet (CON) and 3 experimental diets with reduced calories to equal a 50 kcal/kg deficit (ESFA 1), 70 kcal/kg deficit (ESFA 2), and 100 kcal/kg deficit (ESFA 3) with the addition of (Enercore®, Biosen) at 1 kg/tonne. Toms were placed on experimental diets from placement through 18 wk of age. At 17 wks of age, one tom from each pen was weighed and euthanized to determine health indicator status which included bone ash from the right thigh bone, spleen weight to examine potential shifts in the immune system, plasma ketone body concentrations, liver weight and liver score, and small intestine morphology. Tom live weights (P = 0.937), liver score (P = 0.248), ketone body concentration (P = 0.997), small intestine morphology (P > 0.120) and bone ash (P = 0.156) were similar across dietary treatments. In contrast, relative spleen weight was altered by dietary treatment (P = 0.044) with ESFA 3 spleen yield significantly less than CON (P = 0.005). In conclusion, the 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 metabolic traits.