Why You Need Vitamin Supplements In Poultry Production
Vitamins supplements in poultry is a key factor in enhancing the stability and health of your poultry birds.
Multivitamins are nutritional elements that are required for essential activities such as the development, growth, and metabolism of cells.
The various vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, C, and B vitamins play a vital role in the normal functioning of the immune system of your birds.
The supplementation of these vitamins to your poultry helps in boosting the immune system of your birds, relieves stress especially at periods of extreme weather conditions and during the administration of vaccines.
vitamin supplements
Recommended for you:
How to Effectively Manage Heat stress in Broiler Chicken
Brooding Day Old Chicks and the General Management.
5 Ways You Can Create Your Own Minimum Wage (Means of Livelihood) Through Broiler Farming
A lack of one or more vitamins can lead to a number of diseases and health issues for your birds as in a tabular form below:
Vitamins are broadly divided into two categories:
- Fat-soluble
- Water-soluble.
The fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, and K. While the water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and the B vitamins.
Vitamin Supplements
| S/no. | Vitamins | Function | Deficiency |
| 1 | A | · Vitamin A enhances normal growth, reproduction, and maintenance of epithelial cells in good condition (skin and the linings of the digestive, reproductive, and respiratory tracts).
|
· Roup, characterized by conjunctivitis, oculo-nasal discharge, and eyelids stuck together with thick exudates. In advanced cases, necrosis and keratinization of the mucosa of the alimentary and respiratory tract occur. |
| 2 | D | · Vitamin D3 is required for proper absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphorous which are required for normal growth, bone development, and eggshell formation.
· Skeletal development · Bone strength, claws, and beak. · Responsible for eggshell quality produced by layers.
|
· Deficiency leads to rickets. Birds produce thin-shelled eggs with reduced hatchability, show leg weakness, and penguin-like sitting posture. The beak, claws, and ribs become very pliable.
· Weak eggshells · Decrease in egg production |
| 3 | E | · An antioxidant important for normal neurological functions. | · Deficiency leads to encephalomalacia/crazy chick disease
· exudative diathesis in young birds · Muscular dystrophy is seen more frequently in older and mature birds. |
| 4 | K |
· It plays an important role in clotting mechanisms and also has a protective effect against coccidiosis.
|
· may cause an increase of blood spots in eggs, hemorrhages in the legs and breast
· Failure of blood clotting. |
| C | · Vitamin C supplementation is useful when birds are under stress. Especially in extremely hot weather condition
|
· Poor feed intake
· Heatstroke |
|
| 5 | B vitamins | · Include vitamin thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin.
· Metabolic functions, including energy metabolism.
· Thiamine (Vitamin B1) is necessary for proper carbohydrate metabolism.
· Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) is part of enzyme systems so plays a vital role in metabolism.
· Vitamin B6 is necessary for proper metabolism of amino acids · Vitamin B12 is involved with nucleic acid synthesis, carbohydrate, and fat metabolism, and methyl synthesis. |
· Anorexia, loss of weight, ruffled feathers, dropping of wings, and paralysis of muscles.
· Diarrhea and “curled toe paralysis” in birds between the first and second week of age. · Affected birds walk upon their hocks with the aid of their wings. · In adult birds decreased egg production, increased embryonic mortality, and dead in shell chicks, with dwarfing and clubbing down feathers are seen. · Spasmodic convulsions and jerky movements are seen in sick birds.
|
routine vitamin supplements help in stabilizing your poultry birds
Recommended for you:
8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Poultry Farming
How to Feed Your Noiler Chickens For Maximum Profits
Understanding the Economics of Feed Intake, Weight Gain and Time-Frame in Rearing Broilers
Most vitamins cannot be synthesized by animals and must therefore be obtained from their feed. Although every animal should receive the right level of vitamins through feed, numerous factors impact the vitamin status, feed formulation, availability of feed ingredients, storage times.
Vitamins supplementation should be done under the supervision of your poultry consultants. The process should not be abused
.
