The aim of this study was to examine the efficiency of dietary supplementation with advanced chelate compounds-based trace minerals (CTM) in growing turkeys. A total of 336 one-day-old turkeys were assigned to 3 dietary treatments, consisting of 8 replicates of 14 birds each. Experimental treatments included: ITM (basal diet; commercially recommended levels of inorganic TM), CTM50 (CTM replaced at 50% of ITM), and CTM100 (CTM replaced at 100% of ITM). After 112 d, body weight, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio in turkeys fed with the ITM were also similar to those of the turkeys in the CTM50 group, but poorer (P < 0.05) than those for the CTM100 group. When compared to the ITM diet, the CTM100 diet increased ileal digestibility coefficients of crude fat, energy, ash, and phosphorus; tibia length; tibia ash, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, and copper contents; jejunal villus height, villus height/crypt depth ratio, and villus surface area; and serum total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, and catalase values (P < 0.05). The CTM50 diet also increased ileal digestibility coefficients of crude ash and phosphorus, as well as tibia ash and phosphorus contents (P < 0.05) compared to the ITM diet. These findings indicate that, while CTM supplementation at 50% of the commercially recommended levels could support growth performance, a complete replacement of ITM with equivalent levels of CTM could beneficially influence growth performance, bone mineralization, gut morphology, and antioxidant status in growing turkeys.
