Vitamin deficiency diseases in poultry

1. VITAMIN DEFICIENCY DISEASES IN
POULTRY

2. Prepared by
Dr Muhammad Ashiq Toor
DVM , B s c (Zoology)
Islamia University of Bahawal Pur (IUB)
(2010 – 2015)
+92-344-499-7375
+92-300-364-2402
VITAMIN DEFICIENCY DISEASES IN POULTRY

3. What is a vitamin???
• A group of organic substances present in
minute amount in natural feedstuffs.
• Essential for normal metabolism
• Insufficient amounts in the diet may cause
deficiency diseases.

4. Vitamin A
Importance
• Maintenance
• Growth
• Reproduction
So if no vit.A animal will stop growing and
may die.

5. Deficiency
1)Eye problems
• Watery eyes
• Night blindness
• Crusty material in the nostrils & eyelids
2) Reduced egg production & hatchability

6. Vitamin D
Importance
• Bone formation
• CHO metabolism
• Absorption of Ca & P from small intestine

7. Deficiency
• Soft egg shell
• Rickets
• Osteomalacia (softening of bones due to
deficiency of vit.D or Ca)
Beak & claws become soft and pliable
• Hypocalcaemia
• EOD (endochondral ossification defect)
Bone deformation, fractures & lameness

8. Leg weekness

9. Vitamin E
Importance
• Muscle structure
• Reproduction

10. Deficiency
• Encephalomalacia (crazy chick disease)
Cerebral softening of brain
ataxia,disequilibrium,falling on back, twisted
neck
• Muscular dystrophy
Rare in poultry but become severe if both
vit.E & sulphur amino acids are deficient in
diet

11. Signs of Encephalomalacia

13. Vitamin K
Importance
• Blood clotting
• Activation of prothrombin to create Ca binding
sites.
Deficiency
• Reduces prothrombin content of blood
• Blood coagulation time increases
• Hemorrhage
In severe deficiency subcutaneous & internal
hemorrhage which can be fatal.

15. Vitamin B-Complex
B1-Thiamine
Importance
• Conversion of pyruvate to acetate
• CHO metabolism
Deficiency
• Polyneuritis (muscle paralysis)
• Adrenal gland hypertrophy that results in tissue edema (particularly
in skin)
• Atrophy of genital organs
• Inadequate thiamin to the breeder flock will result in high mortality
of embryos prior to hatch & chicks that hatch express polyneuritis
This is because that hen transfer thiamin to the egg in proportion
to dietary content.

17. Vitamin B-2
Riboflavin
Importance
• CHO & protein metabolism
• Most likely to be deficient in swine & poultry
Deficiency
• Decreased growth rate
• Lower feed efficiency
• Curled toe paralysis

19. Niacin
Importance
• Energy metabolism
• Enhance protein synthesis
Deficiency
• Dermatitis (poor feathering)
• Severe metabolic disorder in skin & digestive organs
• Leg problems
• Black tongue (rare in poultry)

21. Vitamin B-6
Pyridoxine
Importance
• Protein metabolism
• RBC formation
Deficiency
• Retarded growth
• Dermatitis
• Epileptic like convulsions
• Anemia & partial alopecia

23. Pentothenic acid
Importance
• Metabolic role in forming vit.A
Deficiency
• Poor feathering
• Conjunctivitis
• Subcutaneous hemorrhage & severe edema

25. Biotin
Importance
• CHO & fat metabolism
Deficiency
• Poor growth
• Dermatitis & cracks in feet
• Hair loss

27. Folic Acid
• Synthesis of hemoglobin
• Related to B-12 metabolism
• Deficiency diseases are almost same as
biotin(reduced growth & poor feathering etc)

28. Vitamin B-12
• Synthesis of hemoglobin along with folic acid
• Deficiency causes nervous disorders, poor
feathering & leg weakness.

29. Vitamin C
• Poultry are able to synthesize vit.c
• So no need for supplementation
But the synthesis may be slow down due to some
1)Stress condition
2)Extreme temperature
3)Vaccination
So this stress induced deficiency of vit.c may
cause’’Field rickets’’ in poultry.