[Year]

Nutritional diseases
caused by vitsmin
deficiency and toxicity

GROUP 1st
COMPOSED BY
ASAD ULLAH
 Vitamins
Vitamins are a group of complex compounds, present in minute amounts in
natural feed and are essential for normal metabolism.

Classification

They have been classified into two groups depending on their solubility

1. Fat soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E and K)

2. Water soluble vitamins (B complex and ascorbic acid)

Fat soluble vitamins

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is essential for
a) Vision
b) Bone growth (relate the activity of osteoblast and osteoclasts)
c) Reproduction (testosterone synthesis)
d) Epithelial integrity
e) Immunological response
Deficiency problems
a) Reduced growth
b) Decrease in resistance to disease
c) Eye lesions and muscular in-coordination
d) Decease in egg production, hatchability and increase in embryonic
mortality
e) Degeneration of mucus membrane may result secondary bacterial infection
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is also called as “sunshine vitamin”.it is good for chickens under
modern commercial rearing, as they are not exposed to sunlight.
Enhance intestinal absorption, mobilization, retention and bone deposition of Ca
and P.
Regulate immune cell function.

Deficiency problems
a) Rickets sit in a squatting position reluctant to walk, stiff legged gait, soft
beak, claws, leg and other bones
b) Depigmentation of feather
c) Reduced egg production
d) Thin shelled or shell-less eggs
e) Reduced hatchability of eggs
f) Embryos(18-19d): soft beak fails to pip the shell
Vitamin E
 An excellent natural anti-oxidant for fats and fat soluble vitamins.
 Pelleting (high heat and moisture) may destroy the vitamin when no anti-
oxidant is present. Presence of heat, oxygen, trace minerals and oxidized
fat also accelerate oxidation of the vitamin during storage.
 Vitamin E act as a potent biological anti-oxidant.
 Enhances disease resistance in chicken by protecting the leukocytes and
macrophages during pathogen invasion into the body .

Deficiency problems
i. Result of increased capillary permeability.
ii. Encephalomalacia (crazy chick disease, ataxia, head retraction and cycling
with legs)
iii. Muscular dystrophy characterized by the appearance of white striation in
the skeletal muscle.
iv. Sterility hatchability due to early (fourth day) embryonic mortality
v. Exudate diathesis (subcutaneous edema)

muscular dystrophy exudate diathesis

Vitamin K
Required for synthesis of blood clotting factors 2 (prothrombin), 7, 9 and 10 in
liver. Prothrombin is converted to thrombin, which facilitates the conversion of
soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin. The fibrin polymerises into strands
enmeshes red blood cells into the blood clot.

Deficiency problems
i. Deficiency of vitamin K may occur during coccidiosis
ii. Chicks during early stage of growth area highly susceptible to deficiency
compared adult birds.
iii. Impaired blood clotting
iv. Chicks hatched from parents with vitamin K deficiency may bleed to death
even on any slight injury.
v. Severe internal hemorrhages in several parts of the body
vi.
vii.
viii. Gizzard erosion
 Water soluble vitamins

Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
Essential for release of energy form nutrients during their oxidation in the body.
Thiamin undergoes phosphorylation in liver to from the metabolically active from
i.e., thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP).
Thiamin plays an important role in synthesis of nucleic acids (pentose phosphate
cycle).
Deficiency problems

i. Polyneuritis. Thiamin deficiency may lead to accumulation of intermediates

of carbohydrate metabolism surrounding the nerves and thereby causes
nerve cell damage
ii. Loos of appetite, impairment of digestion, emaciation
iii. Nervous symptoms like opisthotonus or star-gazing and frequent
convulsions
iv. Cardiac abnormalities like enlargement of heart, edema
v. Atrophy pf reproductive organs in deficiency
 Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Riboflavin is resistant to heat treatment but degrades rapidly when exposed to
light. Practical feed ingredients are deficit in riboflavin.
Essential for generation of energy during metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and
protein.
Plays an important role in oxidation reaction in cornea.

Deficiency problems
i. Characteristic curled toe paralysis due to enlargement of sciatic and
brachial nerves. Toes curled inwards and chicks walk on hock.
ii. Normal appetite, retarded growth, diarrhea and death. Wing feathers are
disproportionately long.
iii. Breeders reduced egg production and hatchability.
iv. Embryos area dwarf and exhibit marked micromelia (condition is which a
limb is abnormally shortened). The down feathers fail to emerge (clubbed
down condition)
Niacin
 Essential for release of energy from nutrients. Niacin in the form of NAD
and NADP are essential for several enzymes involved in metabolism of
carbohydrates, protein and lipids.
 Important for biosynthesis of nucleic acids via hexose monophosphate
shunt(NADP)

Deficiency problems
i. Enlargement of tibiotarsal joint, bowing of legs,
ii. Poor feathering and dermatitis of feet and head.
iii. In chicks reduced feed intake and growth rate.
iv. “Black tongue” characterized by inflammation of tongue, mouth cavity and
esophagus.
v. In layers loss of weight, reduced egg production and hatchability
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxol and pyridozamine)
 Requirement of vitamin B6 increase with the level of protein, amino acids
and their ratio in diet.
 Supplemental vitamin B6 may be essential in corn-SBM diet.

Deficiency problems
a) Characteristic posture with wings spread and head resting on the ground,
birds run aimlessly with the characteristic posture.
b) Reduced appetite and growth and poor feathering
c) Marked increased in gizzard erosion
d) Hyper excitability
e) In layers: reduction in egg production and hatchability
Pantothenic Acid
 Additional supplementation is essential. Pantothenic acid is very sensitive
to moist heat. Pelleting feed may cause loss of the vitamin.
 Plays an important role in the biological system in the form of coenzyme A
and acetyl carrier protein.
 Coenzyme A is essential for fatty acid oxidation.
 Involve in the formation of the citric acid.

Deficiency problems
i. Reduced growth, poor feed conversion
ii. Poor feathering
iii. Dermatitis at the corners and near the beak.
iv. Dermatitis of the feet in most common and severe then biotin deficiency
v. Severe depression in hatchability and embryonic mortality during last phase
of incubation.
vi. The embryos are edematous with subcutaneous hemorrhages.
Biotin (vitamin H)
a) Bio-availability of biotin is more form vegetable feed ingredients than
animal sources. Pelleting has little effect on biotin content in the feeds.
b) Involve in the conversion of the carbohydrate to protein and vice-versa as
well as conversion of protein and carbohydrate to fat.
c) Essential for maintaining normal blood glucose level.
d) The enzyme containing biotin are involves in carbon dioxide transport and
fixing in tissues.
e) Biotin is a coenzyme in the metabolism od linoleic acid

Deficiency problems
Utilization of biotin is reduced if feed is infested with mould or contains rancid
fasts.
i. In chicks: poor growth and feed efficiency, perosis, ataxia, crooked legs and
parrot peak.
ii. Dermatitis (like pantothenic deficiency)
iii. Disturbed and broken feathers
iv. In breeder: reduced hatchability
Folacin
 Folacin is folic acid and related compounds.
 Folacin is sensitive to light and heat.
 High protein diets (folacin required for uric acid formation) or diets infested
with mould and supplementation with sulpha drugs increase the dietary
requirement of folacin.
 Required for maintaining immune system.

Deficiency problems

i. Anemia, poor growth and poor feathering

ii. Depigmentation of colored feathers. Folacin, along with lysine and iron, is
required for normal feather pigmentation
iii. In breeders: poor hatchability and increase in embryonic mortality during
last days of incubation.
iv. Perosis or slipped tendon: folacin deficiency causes abnormal development
of hyaline cartilage and poor ossification.

Perosis
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
 Vitamin B12 is synthesized only by microorganism and is not found in plant
feed ingredients.
 Cobalt is an integral of the vitamin (4.5%).
 B12 is stable in premixes containing minerals and also during pelletisation of
the feed.
 The requirement of vitamin b is higher for birds reared on wire compared
to litter floor.
 Involved in transfer or synthesis of one carbon units (methyl groups).
 Concerned in synthesis of purines, pyrimidines and protein.

Deficiency problems

i. In breeders reduced hatchability (embryonic mortality at 17th day,

characterized by embryonic deformities-extensive atrophy of thigh
muscles).
ii. Anemic, gizzard erosion and fattiness of heart, liver and kidney.
iii. reduction in egg weight In layers
iv. Nervous disorders, perosis
v. Reduced feed intake, weight gain, feed efficiency and poor feathering
Choline
 Synthesized in liver.
 Highly hygroscopic.
 Stable during palletization and extrusion cooking and also in multi-vitamin
premixes but decreases the stability of other vitamins in the premix.
 Increasing the levels of dietary protein or fat increases choline
requirements.
 Structural component of cell (lecithin, sphingomyelin, etc.).
 Function as a constituent of phospholipids needed for normal maturation
of cartilage matrix of the bone.
 Plays an important role in fat metabolism.
 Prevent fatty liver by mobilizing fat.
 Essential for acetyl choline synthesis

Deficiency problems

i. In young chicks: perosis: characterized by pin-point hemorrhages, apparent

flattening of hock joint. Achilles tendon slips its condyles.
ii. Layers can synthesize sufficient choline for maintaining egg production and
its supplementation may maintain egg size.
iii. Fatty liver
Toxicity of vitamins
I. Fat soluble vitamins are stored in the body while the excess intake of
water soluble vitamins (except B12) are excreted rapidly.
II. Too high intake of fat soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D and E) cause
toxicity.

1. Toxicity of Fat soluble vitamins

The toxic level, toxic symptoms and lesions of vitamin A, D 3 and E are ad follow

Vitamin Toxic level Symptoms and lesions

Vitamin A 2,000,000 IU/kg 1: antagonizes

absorption of vitamin D3
and E
2: Rachitic bones
Vitamin D3 300,000 IU/kg 1: Hypercalcemia
2: Soft tissue
mineralization
Vitamin E 40,000 mg/kg 1: Poor growth
2: Soft tissue
mineralization

2-Toxicity of water soluble vitamins

Water soluble are not toxic because they release in urine if in excess