Turkey Feed Cost Calculator
Estimate daily feed consumption and monthly cost for your turkey flock. Turkeys eat significantly more than chickens — the numbers add up fast.
Your flock
Results update as you type.
Total flock size you are feeding.
Turkey starter and grower feed: $22–35 per 50 lb bag.
Your feed plan
Feed consumption
- Daily per turkey
- 12.0 oz (340 g)
- Daily for flock
- 48.0 oz (1361 g)
- Monthly
- 91.3 lb (41.4 kg)
- Bags per year
- 22 × 50 lb
Cost
- Monthly cost
- $47.49
- Annual cost
- $569.79
⚠️ Use turkey-specific feed. Poults need 28% protein turkey starter (non-medicated) — chicken starter is too low in protein, and medicated chick starter uses a coccidiostat dose that differs for turkeys.
Your flock of 4 finishing / adult Broad-Breasted White turkeys will eat about 48.0 oz (1361 g) of feed per day, roughly 91.3 lb a month. At $26.00 per 50 lb bag, that is about $47.49 per month or $569.79 per year.
Turkey feed basics
Turkeys eat significantly more than chickens per bird, and the gap is not small. A finishing Broad-Breasted White can put away three-quarters of a pound of feed a day, which is roughly what three laying hens eat combined.
The other thing that surprises new keepers: you cannot just reach for the chicken feed. Turkeys need turkey-specific feed with higher protein than chicken feed, especially when young. Poults require a 28% protein starter, not chicken starter, because the protein levels are different and a protein-deficient poult does not thrive.
For a sense of scale, a Broad-Breasted White consumes about 75 lbs of feed total from hatch to Thanksgiving-weight processing at four to five months. That total is the number to keep in mind when you budget, because it compounds quickly across a flock.
A note on where these figures come from. We built this because the existing online estimates for turkey feed cost are vague and usually borrowed from chicken figures that do not transfer. The intake numbers here are calibrated against turkey feeding guidance. If you weigh your own feed and your numbers differ, the contact page is at the top of the site.
Feed stages
- Poults 0-8 weeks: 28% protein turkey starter (non-medicated).
- Growing birds 8-16 weeks: 20-24% protein turkey grower.
- Adults and finishing birds: 16-18% protein maintenance or all-flock feed.
- Never use medicated chick starter for turkey poults — the coccidiostat dosage differs and can harm them.
Turkey daily feed by breed and stage
These are the per-bird intake figures the calculator works from. Stages line up with the feed schedule above, so a bird moves down the protein ladder and up the quantity scale as it grows.
| Breed | Poults (0-8 wk) | Growers (8-16 wk) | Finishing / adult | Breeding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad-Breasted White | 1.5 oz/day | 6 oz/day | 12 oz/day | 10 oz/day |
| Heritage (Narragansett, Bourbon Red) | 1.2 oz/day | 4.5 oz/day | 9 oz/day | 7.5 oz/day |
| Midget White / smaller | 1 oz/day | 3.5 oz/day | 7 oz/day | 6 oz/day |
Figures are daily feed per bird with no foraging. Good pasture trims roughly 20 to 35 percent off the feed portion, which is what the foraging setting in the calculator adjusts for.
Common mistakes
- Using chicken starter for poults. The protein is too low for the rapid early growth turkeys need.
- Keeping Broad-Breasted Whites past processing age. They gain weight constantly, so feed costs compound and leg and heart problems mount.
- Not providing adequate protein during the first 8 weeks. Protein-deficient poults have higher mortality, and it is hard to recover lost early growth.
Where to go next
Feed is one of several turkey decisions that connect to each other:
- The Turkey Housing Size Calculator tells you how much space your flock needs.
- The Turkey Egg Production Calculator estimates seasonal egg output and the value of a laying flock.
- The Feed Consumption Calculator shows what the same spend looks like for a flock of chickens.
- The First-Year Cost Calculator rolls feed into the full cost of getting started.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to raise a turkey for Thanksgiving?
Feed cost from hatch to 24-pound Broad-Breasted White: roughly $30-50 in feed at 2026 US prices, plus poult cost ($8-15) and housing. Total: $50-75 per bird.
What do turkey poults eat?
28% protein turkey starter, non-medicated. For the first few days add marbles to the water trough so poults peck at them and learn to drink.
Can turkeys eat chicken feed?
Chicken layer feed is not suitable — protein is too low and calcium is too high for growing turkeys. All-flock feed works for adult turkeys. Never use medicated feeds designed for chickens.
How long does it take to raise a turkey?
Broad-Breasted Whites reach processing weight (20-30 lbs) in 16-24 weeks. Heritage breeds take 25-30 weeks for similar weight and never reach Broad-Breasted sizes.
How much feed does it take to raise a turkey to full size?
For a Broad-Breasted White grown out to a 35 to 38 pound tom, expect roughly 75 to 80 pounds of feed total from hatch to processing. Turkeys convert feed at about 2 to 2.8 pounds of feed per pound of body weight, so smaller birds and heritage breeds eat less in total but take longer to get there. At $26 a 50-pound bag, 75 to 80 pounds works out to around $40 of feed per bird.
What can turkeys eat besides commercial feed?
Turkeys are strong foragers and work through grass, weeds, seeds, and insects, which can trim 20 to 35 percent off the feed portion of their diet on good pasture. They also take kitchen scraps and garden greens in moderation. Any bird eating foraged material needs grit available to grind it down. Keep treats and scraps to a small share of the diet so they do not dilute the protein level of the main feed.