The use of n-alkanes as markers of herbage intake by free range turkeys

Abstract

Turkeys in free range condition ingest herbage as a complement to their diet. The introduction of herbage in the diet of turkeys, otherwise fed on concentrated feed, generates a new feeding context that needs to be investigated, particularly in the Montado/ Dehesa where free range turkey production may be a way to add value to this Mediterranean ecosystem. In particular the knowledge of herbage intake and its contribution to the nutritional status of the animals is required. n-Alkanes have been extensively used as faecal markers to estimate intake and digestibility in grazing animals [1], however very few studies have been reported on avian species [2] and, to our knowledge, no study on turkeys was reported in the literature. The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the behaviour of n-alkane markers in the digestive tract of free range turkeys.The objective was to describe the behaviour of n-alkane markers in the digestive tract and to calculate total faecal recoveries rates of C32 and C36 alkanes.