Vitamins and Minerals Important to Poultry
Achieving maximum health and performance of poultry requires nutritionally balanced diets, writes Dan L. Cunningham, Extension Coordinator at the University of Georgia.
11 July 2008
3 minute read
One of the common issues with regard to backyard flocks relates to poor or inadequate feeding programmes that can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies for the birds. Vitamins and minerals are very important components of a chickens diet and unless a formulated ration is feed, it is likely that deficiencies will occur.
Poultry require all known vitamins except C. Some vitamins are soluble in fats, while others are soluble in water. Some of the symptoms of a vitamin deficiency are as follows:
|
Fat Soluble Vitamins
|
|
|---|---|
| Vitamin A | Decreased egg production, weakness and lack of growth |
| Vitamin D | Thin shelled eggs, reduced egg production, retarded growth, rickets |
| Vitamin E | Enlarged hocks, encephalomalacia (crazy chick disease) |
| Vitamin K | Prolonged blood clotting, intramuscular bleeding |
|
Water Soluble Vitamins
|
|
|---|---|
| Thiamine (B1) | Loss of appetite and death |
| Riboflavin (B2) | Curly-toe paralysis, poor growth and poor egg production |
| Pantothenic Acid | Dermatitis and lesions on mouth and feet |
| Niacin | Bowed legs, inflammation of tongue and mouth cavity |
| Choline | Poor growth, fatty liver, decreased egg production |
| Vitamin B12 | Anaemia, poor growth, embryonic mortality |
| Folic Acid | Poor growth, anaemia, poor feathering and egg production |
| Biotin | Dermatitis on feet and around eyes and beak |
Minerals are also important to the health and well-being of poultry. The following are some of the important minerals and symptoms of mineral deficiencies:
|
Minerals
|
|
|---|---|
| Calcium | Poor egg shell quality and poor hatchability, rickets |
| Phosphorus | Rickets, poor egg shell quality and hatchability |
| Magnesium | Sudden death |
| Manganese | Perosis, poor hatchability |
| Iron | Anaemia |
| Copper | Anaemia |
| Iodine | Goitre |
| Zinc | Poor feathering, short bones |
| Cobalt | Slow growth, mortality, reduced hatchability |
As indicated above, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can produce numerous health problems for chickens including in some cases, death. Thus, to prevent nutritional deficiencies, or when deficiency symptoms are noted, feeding a balanced poultry diet with the required vitamins and minerals should be practised.
May 2008
