COLUMBIA (AP) -- Fattening turkeys doesn't have to be as expensive as it is now.
That's the finding of a researcher at the University of Missouri's flagship campus in Columbia. Professor Jeff Firman has studied the amino acid requirements needed for turkeys to gain weight.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that Firman found that the birds don't need as much protein as they typically get.
Firman tested a mix using an increased amount of cheap grains and fewer proteins on 800 turkeys.
He found that the birds still met health targets and reached market weight in 18 to 21 weeks.
He says that adopting the feeding patterns could help the industry save more than $100 million.
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