AquaBeads® supplementation stimulates activity and improves the 10-day growth performance of turkey hen poults

Oct 30, 2025

Summary

Early life nutrition plays a critical role in the growth performance, health, and welfare of poultry. This study investigated the effect of AquaBeads® supplementation on the early behavior and 10-day performance of turkey poults. On day-of-hatch (d0) 720 turkey poult hens were randomly assigned into three treatment groups (n = 8 pen treatment replicates): 1) Control (no AquaBeads®): both feed flats contained feed without AquaBeads®, 2) AquaBeads®: both feed flats supplemented with AquaBeads®, and 3) Preference: one feed flat with AquaBeads® and the other without. Feed and individual poult body weights (BW) were recorded on d0 and d10 and were used to calculate body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). At 15- and 45-minutes post-placement, the gastrointestinal tract was examined to determine the presence of AquaBeads® in the crop and lower ileum. Early foraging behavior was analyzed from video recordings during the first 60 minutes after placement. Crop fill was assessed at 24 hours post-placement. Results showed that both AquaBeads® and Preference groups had higher (p < 0.05) BW at d10 and BWG from d0-10 than the Control group. In the AquaBeads® group, AquaBeads® were present in the crop of 50% of poults at 15 minutes and increased (p < 0.05) to 100% at 45 minutes. Behavioral observations revealed that poults in the AquaBeads® groups exhibited higher foraging activity during the first hour after placement, with a significantly greater percentage of poults on AquaBeads®-treated feed flats compared to the Control group (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that AquaBeads® supplementation can enhance early poult growth and behavior, making it a potential feed attractant to improve early performance.

DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM

In commercial poultry hatcheries, chicks and poults typically hatch within a 24 to 36-hour window. Those that hatch early remain in the hatcher longer, increasing the risk of dehydration due to prolonged lack of access to water (de Jong et al., 2017). Following hatch, chicks and poults can undergo several handling procedures, including sorting, counting, vaccination, and sexing, before transport to the grow-out barn, further extending the period without feed or water (Batal and Parsons, 2002). To compensate for this delay in external sources of feed and water, newly hatched poults rely on the residual yolk sac, which constitutes 13–15% of body weight (Noy and Sklan, 1998),as a temporary source of hydration and nutrients.

However, this yolk reserve is limited, and prolonged access without feed and water, particularly longer than 24 hours, can result in lasting negative effects on both broilers and turkeys, including dehydration (Batal and Parsons, 2002; Juul-Madsen et al., 2004; Lamot et al., 2014), altered metabolic function (Turner et al., 1999), increased susceptibility to pathogens (Dibner et al., 2008), reduced body weight (Sklan et al., 2000; Careghi et al., 2005), and impaired development of critical tissues (Halevy et al., 2000). Research shows that hatchlings exhibit innate color preferences that vary across species, sex, and presentation method (Hess, 1956; Fischer et al., 1975; Jones, 1986; Mastrota and Mench, 1995; Roper and Marples, 1997; Goldsmith, 2006; Ham and Osorio, 2007; Mesmarian and Toghyani, 2024) and influence feed intake (Gulizia and Downs, 2021; Mesmarian and Toghyani, 2024; Vargas et al., 2025).

To address these early-life challenges, the poultry industry has explored hatchling supplements administered at the hatchery or at placement to promote growth and livability. Henderson et al. (2008) investigated the impact of providing a nutritional supplement, EarlyBird™, to broiler chicks during a simulated 24-hour shipping period. Across seven experiments, chicks that received 2 g of EarlyBird™ had less body weight loss during the holding period and had greater 7-day and market body weights compared to unsupplemented controls. Early-life supplementation has the potential to improve both short- and long-term growth outcomes.

AquaBeads® are hydrophilic, alginate beads, ranging from 2 to 5 mm in diameter, containing 85% moisture, electrolytes, vitamins C and D, and betaine (Clear H2O, 2025). Designed as a feed topping hydration supplement, AquaBeads® may stimulate foraging, improving early discovery of feed during the critical post-hatch period. AquaBeads® is green in color, and research has shown that turkey poults demonstrate a preference and consume more green-colored feed compared to other colors (Cooper, 1971). Early post-hatch feed discovery has been shown to improve body and muscle growth in both chicks (Halevy et al., 2000) and turkey poults (Noy and Sklan, 1999). To expand the growing body of knowledge on how an early-life feed attractant can improve poultry health and productivity, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of AquaBeads® supplementation as a feed top dressing applied at placement on the behavior, crop, gut fill, and 10-day performance of turkey poult hens.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ethical Statement

This study was carried out at the Poultry Health Laboratory Research Farm at the University of Arkansas and was approved by the Division of Agriculture Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Experimental Design

A total of 720 day-of-hatch Nicholas hen poults were obtained from a commercial hatchery and placed into 24 pens (n = 30 poults/pen). Each pen (1.22 m x 1.22 m) was bedded with fresh pine shavings and had two cardboard feed flats (35.6 cm x 55.9 cm x 5.1 cm), each filled with 1.5 kg of turkey starter feed. Opaque fiberglass dividers were installed between pens to prevent visual interaction among poults in adjacent pens. Each poult was individually neck-tagged and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups (n = 8 pen treatment replicates): 1) Control (non-treated): both feed flats contained feed without AquaBeads®, 2) AquaBeads®: both feed flats were supplemented with AquaBeads®, and 3) Preference: one feed flat contained AquaBeads®-supplemented feed and the other contained feed only. Poults were placed equidistant between the two feed flats to allow natural dispersal without researcher influence (Figure 1).

AquaBeads® were applied immediately before poult placement at a rate of approximately 1.5g/poult (45g/pen). In the AquaBeads® group, the supplement was evenly divided between the two feed flats (22.5g/flat). In the Preference group, the full 45g was applied to one feed flat, while the other remained untreated. No AquaBeads® were supplemented in the Control group (Figure 1). Feed and water were provided ad libitum throughout the study. Poults were maintained under natural lighting conditions, with lights set to follow the local sunrise and sunset schedule.

Growth Performance Measures

Individual body weights and feeder weights were recorded at day (d) 0 (placement) and d10 to calculate body weight (BW, g), body weight gain (BWG, g/poult), and FCR.

Crop and Lower Ileum Fill

To evaluate the presence of AquaBeads® in the gastrointestinal tract, two poults per pen (n = 8 poults/treatment) were euthanized at two time points: 15 minutes and 45 minutes post-placement. The entire gastrointestinal tract was removed intact and visually inspected to determine the number of poults with AquaBeads® in the crop and lower ileum.

Crop Fill Assessment

At 24 hours post-placement (d1), five poults per pen (n = 40 poults/treatment) were randomly selected for crop palpation to assess the percentage of crop fill progression. Crop fill was scored using the following categories: (0) empty, (1) hard/full (feed only), and (2) soft/full (feed and water). The percentage of poults in each crop fill category was calculated per treatment group. This measure was used to evaluate the effect of AquaBeads® supplementation on initial feed intake.

Feed Flat Activity

To assess poult behavior on the feed flats in each pen, CCTV cameras (E841CA-E, Lorex, Lithicum, Maryland, USA) connected to a network video recorder (N883A38B-W, Lorex, Lithicum, Maryland, USA) were mounted overhead in 12 pens (n = 4 pens/treatment). The video was recorded for the first 60 minutes post-placement. Behavior was observed from video recordings using instantaneous scan sampling at 15-second intervals (n = 240 scans/pen). Poult behavior was categorized as active (walking, foraging, or standing) or passive (sitting or sleeping) according to the ethogram in Table 1. The total number of poults in the pen was first recorded, followed by the number of poults present on the feed flats. Data are presented as the calculated percentages of total, active, and passive poults on the feed flats.

Table 1. Ethogram of behaviors.

Behavior	Description
Active	Poult is walking, in which propulsive force is derived from the action of the legs, foraging by scratching with feet and/or pecking at the ground with the beak while standing or walking, or standing by maintaining an upright position on extended legs.
Passive	Poult has both hocks and/or breast resting on the ground, the head may or may not be in contact with the ground.
Total	Active + Passive

Statistical Analysis

To determine the effects of treatment on BW, BWG, FCR, and crop fill percentages, one-way ANOVA was performed using JMP Pro (v16). To analyze the effect of treatment on the percentage of active, passive, and total poults on the feed flats, two linear mixed-effects models were fitted using the lmer function from the “lme4” package in R version 4.4.1. The models included pen as a random effect to account for variability between pens. The percentage of active and total poults was analyzed using treatment as a fixed effect with a pen as a random effect. Model residuals were assessed for normality and homoscedasticity using qqplots. The effect of AquaBeads® on the Preference group was analyzed using a linear mixed-effect model using the lmer function. The random effect of pen was used to account for variability among pens. Differences between treatment means were compared using Tukey’s post-hoc test, with a significance level set at p ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Performance

Table 2 shows the BW, BWG, FCR, and mortality of turkey hen poult treatment groups. There were no significant differences in average BW between treatment groups on d0. However, d10 BW was greater (p = 0.011) for the AquaBeads® (124.44g) and Preference (124.29g) groups compared to the Control group (118.16g). Similarly, d0-10 BWG was also significantly higher (p = 0.006) in the AquaBeads® (72.08g) and Preference (71.36g) groups compared to the Control group (65.19g). Although FCR values were similar among groups, the Preference group had improved FCR by at least four points (1.79) compared to AquaBeads® (1.83) and Control (1.88) groups. Mortality remained below 5% and was similar among treatment groups. These results indicate that AquaBeads® supplementation supports early growth in turkey poults without negatively affecting feed efficiency or livability. The numerical improvement in FCR, particularly in the Preference group, suggests potential benefits for feed efficiency that may continue over longer production periods. Early post-hatch feeding has been shown to improve body and muscle growth in both broiler chicks (Halevy et al., 2000) and turkey poults (Noy and Sklan, 1999). Future studies should explore the long-term impact of AquaBeads® on FCR to evaluate if there are carryover benefits during an entire turkey flock cycle.

Table 2. Effect of AquaBeads® supplementation on 10-day body weight (BW, g), BWG (g/poult), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality (%) performance parameters in turkey hen poults.

Group	BW (g)		BWG (g)	FCR¹	Mortality (%)
Group	d0	d10	d0-d10	d0-d10	d0-d10
Control	52.87 ± 0.26	118.16 ± 1.75^b	65.19 ± 1.73^b	1.88 ± 0.05	8/240 (3.33)
AquaBeads®	52.49 ± 0.26	124.44 ± 1.65^a	72.08 ± 1.61^a	1.83 ± 0.06	5/240 (2.08)
Preference	52.90 ± 0.26	124.29 ± 1.63^a	71.36 ± 1.63^a	1.79 ± 0.02	12/240 (5.00)
p-value	NS	0.011	0.006	NS	NS

^a,b Superscripts denote significant differences across treatment groups within a column.

1: Motality adjusted. NS indicates no significant differences observed.

AquaBeads® were rapidly consumed and transited through the gastrointestinal tract. In the AquaBeads® group, AquaBeads® were present in the crop of 50% of poults at 15 minutes and increased significantly (p < 0.05) to 100% at 45 minutes (Table 3). In the same group, AquaBeads® presence in the lower ileum increased from 50.0% to 75.0% in the same period. In the Preference group, 87.5% of poults had AquaBeads® present at both time points, while AquaBeads® in the lower ileum increased from 25.0% at 15 minutes to 62.5% at 45 minutes. In the lower ileum, AquaBeads® were detected in 25% of poults at 15 minutes, increasing to 62.5% at 45 minutes (Table 3). No AquaBeads® were observed in the crop or lower ileum of the Control group. These results indicate rapid consumption and gastrointestinal tract transit of AquaBeads®, particularly in the AquaBeads® group.

Table 3. AquaBeads® presence in the crop and lower ileum at 15 and 45 minutes post-placement.

Group	Crop		Lower ileum
Group	15 min (%)	45 min (%)	15 min (%)	45 min (%)
Control	0/8 (0.00)	0/8 (0.00)	0/8 (0.00)	0/8 (0.00)
AquaBeads®	4/8 (50.0)	8/8 (100.0) *	4/8 (50.0)	6/8 (75.0)
Preference	7/8 (87.5)	7/8 (87.5)	2/8 (25.0)	5/8 (62.5)

*Indicates significant difference (p < 0.05) in crop fill incidence at 15- and 45-minutes post-placement for only the AquaBeads® group (Chi-square).

No significant differences in crop fill 24h post-placement were observed among treatments (Table 4). At 24h post-placement, the majority of poults across all treatment groups had soft/full crops, indicating feed and water consumption, which was 80% of poults in both the AquaBeads® and Preference groups and 77.5% in the Control group. A small percentage of poults in each group had empty crops (15-20%), and very few had hard/full crops (2.5-5%). The immediate discovery of feed and water is particularly important during the early post-placement period, a critical time for ensuring proper hydration and nutrition to mitigate transportation and placement stress. The visual appeal of the AquaBeads® could have encouraged feed consumption, which likely played a role in the increased growth observed in the current study. Farghly and Abou-Kassem (2014) evaluated the effects of feed color and form in turkeys, comparing non-colored, red, and green colored diets in mash and pelleted forms throughout the flock cycle. They found that birds fed green pelleted feed had lower FCR than other groups at 14 weeks and had lower body temperature at 16 weeks, which the authors attributed to increased comfort and reduced metabolic heat production, suggesting that visually attractive feed may have a positive benefit to promote production and welfare.

Table 4. Effect of AquaBeads® supplementation presence (AquaBeads®), absence (Control), or choice (Preference) on 24h crop fill.

Group	24h crop fill¹ (%)
Group	empty	hard/full	soft/full
Control	8/40 (20.0)	1/40 (2.5)	31/40 (77.5)
AquaBeads®	6/40 (15.0)	2/40 (5.0)	32/40 (80.0)
Preference	7/40 (17.5)	1/40 (2.5)	32/40 (80.0)

1: Scoring system used to assess crop fill: 0=empty, 1=hard/full (feed only), 2=soft/full (water and feed). No significant differences were observed between treatments (Chi-square).

Feed was present in the crop and throughout the gastrointestinal tract in all groups, including the Control group, at both time points evaluated. One study found that artificially filling the distal duodenum and ileum in 6-12 week-old turkey hens (Meleagris gallopavo) increased crop filling and altered eating behavior, suggesting that intestinal fullness stimulates crop storage and may influence esophageal motility (Jackson and Duke, 1995). The result of the 24-hour crop fill assessment indicates that AquaBeads® supplementation did not negatively affect crop filling in turkey poults. Across all groups, most poults (77.5%-80%) had soft/full crops, which represents the presence of both feed and water, regardless of whether they were treated with AquaBeads® or not. These results confirm that turkey poults readily consume feed at placement and highlight the importance of early supplemental feeding strategies to promote early feed intake, which may translate to improved performance and welfare of turkey poults later in life.

Behavior

While AquaBeads® supplementation did not affect the total percentage of poults on the feed flats during the first hour after placement, it did increase the average percentage of active and passive poults on the feed flats (Table 5). More (p = 0.006) poults were active on the AquaBeads® group (25.4%) feed flats than the Control group (15.1%) but did not differ significantly from the Preference group (22.8%). Further, there was a significant effect of treatment on the percentage of passive poults on feed flats (p = 0.022), with the Control group (3.2%) and the Aquabeads® group (3.0%) having a higher percentage of passive poults compared to the Preference group (0.43%). The reason for the discrepancy between active and passive behavior in the Aquabeads® and the Aquabeads® Preference group is unclear but could be due to the higher density of Aquabeads® on a single feed flat in the Preference group.

Table 5. Effect of AquaBeads® supplementation presence (AquaBeads®), absence (Control), or choice (Preference) on the percentage of total, active, and passive turkey poults on feed flats during the first hour post-placement.

Behavior category (% poults)	Treatment
Behavior category (% poults)	Control	AquaBeads®	Preference	P-value
Total	20.09 ± 3.28	27.20 ± 3.28	28.00 ± 3.28	NS
Active	15.10 ± 2.39^b	25.40± 2.39^a	22.80 ± 2.39^ab	0.006
Passive	3.20 ± 1.17^a	3.03 ± 1.14^a	0.43 ± 0.43^b	0.022

1 Total, active, and passive behaviors were observed and recorded according to the ethogram definitions in Table 1.

abc Differences in letters indicate a significant difference between treatments (n = 4 pens/treatment) at p < 0.05. NS indicates no significant difference observed.

AquaBeads® supplementation increased foraging success and engagement in poults, which may have led to an excitatory and synchronized burst of feeding. It is possible that the contrast between the green AquaBeads® and the yellow feed increased visual interest and encouraged early feed exploration in poults. This increase (25.4% vs 15.10%, p = 0.006) of foraging behavior suggests that AquaBeads® supplementation is effective in attracting poults to feed, likely due to their visual preference for green (Cooper, 1971), which stimulated exploratory behavior and feed intake. Feed intake in poultry species is determined not only by metabolic need but also by the presence or absence of conspecifics (Tolman, 1964; Zajonc, 1965). The active engagement of turkey poults with AquaBeads® supplementation in this study can potentially be attributed to social facilitation, a phenomenon where the presence and behavior of conspecifics stimulates or increases similar behaviors in other individuals and could be beneficial to animals living in groups by contributing to foraging success, anti-predatory defense and reproductive synchrony within social groups (Kovach, 1971; Clayton, 1978).

To assess the impact of AquaBeads® when poults are given the choice, behavior was analyzed within the Preference group pens, where each pen contained one feed flat with AquaBeads® and one without. During the first hour post-placement, a significantly higher (p = 0.001) average percentage of total poults (active + inactive) was observed on the AquaBeads®-supplemented flat (16.1%) compared to the untreated flat (11.9%) (Table 6). This difference was primarily driven by active behavior, as the average percentage of active poults was significantly greater (p = 0.001) on the AquaBeads® flat (13.7%) than on the flat without (9.1%). In contrast, passive behavior was more common on the untreated feed flat, with a higher (p = 0.001) percentage of passive poults (1.2%) compared to the flats with AquaBeads® (0.7%). These results suggest that when given the choice, poults preferentially engage with feed treated with AquaBeads®, indicating both an attraction to the supplement and a stimulation of early foraging behavior. This behavioral preference supports the potential of AquaBeads® as an effective early-life strategy to encourage feed consumption immediately post-placement.

Table 6. Effect of the presence or absence of AquaBeads® on the percentage of total, active, and passive turkey hen poults in the Preference group on feed flats during the first hour after placement.

Behavior category (% poults)	Preference pen feed flats
Behavior category (% poults)	With AquaBeads®	Without AquaBeads®	p-value
Total	16.10 ± 0.59^a	11.90 ± 0.59^b	0.001
Active	13.72 ± 0.63^a	9.06 ± 0.63^b	0.001
Passive	0.73 ± 0.28^b	1.23± 0.36^a	0.001

^ab Differences in letters indicate a significant difference between the presence (flats with AquaBeads®) or absence (flats without AquaBeads®) of AquaBeads® on feed flats in the Preference group (n = 4 pens) at p < 0.001.

CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS

1.
Supplementation with AquaBeads® improved the 10-day performance of turkey hen poults, suggesting it is an effective feed supplement that promotes early performance.
2.
AquaBeads® stimulated poult interest in feed flats by encouraging eating and foraging behavior during the first hour post-placement. Given the strong attraction and consumption observed, follow-up studies should investigate how AquaBeads® can serve as a novel delivery vehicle for nutrients such as hydration, energy sources, and dietary ingredients.
3.
Poults exhibited a preference for AquaBeads®, with a higher percentage not only present on the feed flats but also actively engaging in foraging for AquaBeads® compared to flats without AquaBeads®. However, the scope of the current study was limited to short-term effects during the first 10 days post-placement.
4.
Overall, these results support the potential of AquaBeads® as a practical early feeding solution for turkey poults. Future research is needed to validate these findings and assess the long-term implications of AquaBeads® supplementation in a commercial setting to determine the overall growth performance of commercial turkeys. These additional studies could also investigate whether AquaBeads® supplementation offers benefits beyond early growth, such as improved gut health, immune function, or resilience to environmental stressors.

Article originally published in Journal of Applied Poultry Research, linked here.