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Influence of vitamin deficiency and level of dietary protein on the incidence of leg problems in broiler chicks.
- Source :
-
Poultry science [Poult Sci] 1984 Jun; Vol. 63 (6), pp. 1115-21. - Publication Year :
- 1984
-
Abstract
- Diets containing either 22 or 30% protein were supplemented with a vitamin mix where one of 11 added vitamins were singly eliminated from the mix. Male, day-old broilers were fed these diets to 3 weeks of age, and weight gains, feed utilization, and leg problems were recorded. In general, the higher protein diet did not result in a greater incidence of leg problems; however, it did alter performance of several of the vitamin-deficient diets as compared to the lower protein diet. Of the 11 vitamins studied only nonsupplementation of riboflavin markedly reduced weight gain and feed utilization during the 3-week feeding period. However, deletions of vitamin D3 and niacin also resulted in reduced performance. Riboflavin deficiency resulted in paralysis in a high percentage of the birds while the niacin-deficient diet gave a high percentage of birds with deformed legs and problems of mobility. The results demonstrate that a high incidence of leg problems may be present in a flock with little or no signs of reduced gain or feed utilization. The data suggest that under practical conditions the elimination of a particular vitamin from a diet for a short period of time would probably have a negligible effect on performance.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0032-5791
- Volume :
- 63
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Poultry science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 6739402
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0631115