Influence of Dietary Cupric Sulfate on the Response of Young Turkeys to Sodium Sulfate

Four trials were conducted to study the interaction of copper sulfate and sodium sulfate in the diet of turkey poults. The addition of sodium sulfate to the diet in the absence of copper sulfate resulted in increased body weight. The addition of 0.05% cupric sulfate to the diet resulted in decreased body weight. When the sodium sulfate was added to the diet containing cupric sulfate, no improvement was obtained. This would indicate that the cupric sulfate was limiting growth; and, therefore, interfering with the ability of the sodium sulfate to elicit a response.