In this episode of Turkey Talk, Sheila and Gretta sit down with Valentin Theneau from Techna, a French animal nutrition company with more than 60 years of experience in poultry nutrition, to discuss how feed formulation impacts turkey health, growth, and profitability. Valentin shares insights into the differences between turkey nutrition in Europe and the United States, explaining how ingredient availability, sustainability goals, and economic pressures shape feed formulations around the world. The conversation explores why turkeys require specialized nutrition throughout their growth, the importance of pellet quality - not just feed ingredients - and how factors like feed durability, protein levels, and ingredient selection influence bird performance. Listeners will also hear how nutrition works alongside biosecurity, water quality, and overall flock management to create healthier, more productive turkeys.
Valentin introduces listeners to Techna's approach to turkey nutrition, emphasizing that raising high-performing turkeys requires much more than simply balancing protein and energy. Turkeys have unique nutritional requirements compared to broilers, requiring multiple feed phases as they grow from poults to market weight. Feed formulations must adapt throughout production to support growth, breast meat development, and overall efficiency.
A major topic of discussion is the difference between European and U.S. feeding programs. While U.S. diets rely heavily on corn and soybean meal, European nutritionists often formulate diets using wheat, rapeseed meal, sunflower meal, peas, and fava beans due to ingredient availability and sustainability requirements. Rather than replacing one ingredient with another, successful formulations focus on balancing the nutritional contributions of every raw material, including amino acids, energy, fiber, and digestibility.
The conversation also highlights an often-overlooked factor in turkey performance: pellet quality. Valentin explains the importance of Pellet Durability Index (PDI), which measures how well pellets hold together during transportation and feeding. Durable pellets create fewer fines, encourage greater feed intake, improve body weight, and ultimately lead to better feed efficiency. Even an excellent feed formulation can underperform if birds refuse to consume feed because pellet quality has deteriorated.
Listeners also gain insight into how the poultry industry is adapting to changing markets. Rising ingredient costs, supply chain disruptions, sustainability initiatives, and regulations surrounding soybean sourcing continue to influence feed formulation decisions. In Europe, additional emphasis is being placed on reducing the environmental footprint of feed while maintaining bird performance.
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