Disease and Condition in Commercial Layer Poultry Due to Imbalance in Nutrition
Cannibalism
It occurs in flocks due to deficiency of common salt of sodium and also due to deficiency of crude fibre. If fibre free diet which contain less than 3% crude fibre is fed to chicken cannibalism is more observed. Methionine deficiency also result cannibalism. However, overall deficiency of feed or nutrient(s) for some days can produce cannibalism in chicken.
Fatty liver and kidney syndrome (FLKS) –
The deficiency of biotin can leads to this condition in young broilers. This condition is most commonly seen in 2-4 week old bird fed wheat based diet because wheat is deficient in biotin. Pyruvate carboxylase enzyme is biotin dependent and due to its deficiency death is caused by hypoglycaemia due to failure of hepatic gluconeogenesis. This affects kidneys because kidneys are vitaminal organs having high energy demand and are affected adversely leading to condition called as FLKS.
Fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS)—
This condition is accompanied by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. The main reason is low protein and high energy ration. Amino acid deficiency or their imbalance is also responsible for this condition. Deficiency of lipotrophic factors is responsible. Certain mould toxins have also been reported as a cause of this condition. The lesions are excessive fat deposition in the liver with haemorrhage. This condition may be prevented by increasing the level (1-2%) of dietary protein supplementation with 50 g of CuSO4, 500 g of choline, 3 mg of Vitamin B12, 500 I.U of Vitamin E and 500 g of methionine per 100 kg of ration.
Cage layer fatigue and bone breakage in layer—
layer fatigue and bone breakage in layer High producing laying hens maintained in cages, sometimes show paralysis at peak egg production. The condition is caused by breakage of the vertebrae which subsequently affects the spinal cord .The reason is an impaired calcium mobilisation due to high output of Ca through the egg shell. This condition is more common in caged birds and the birds reared on deep litter system are rarely affected. It is because of the deficiency of exercise and the effects which influence the metabolism of Ca. The condition can be cured or prevented by increasing birds’ exercise, reducing deposition of fat in the body and improving calcium metabolism by birds.
Salt poisoning—
The requirement of salt is very less in poultry as compared to other animals. The excess of salt either in water or in feed is toxic .The symptom of salt poisoning are watery drops, increased water intake, muscular weakness, convulsion and death. On post mortem examination severe congestion and haemorrhages are observed in elementary canal, liver, lungs, kidney and muscles. The level of salt should not exceed 0.5% in ration and 3000 ppm in drinking water.
Stress
When reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body deforms the lipid layers in cell membranes and decreases the function of membranes. It increases the susceptibility to infection in birds. The condition is called oxidative stress. Commercial broilers are subjected to stress and this stress decreases the lymphocytes number and increase birds’ susceptibility to diseases. ROS which are produced in body by normal metabolic process are responsible for distraction of lipid layer in cell membrane thus causes death of the cell. When antioxidants like vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoids, Se, Cu, Zn and Mn is supplemented the ROS are neutralised by their antioxidant effects that reduce the free radical damage to the cells and help in improving immunity, growth and production. It has been reported that the broilers subjected to stress are benefited by inclusion of vitamin E at higher concentration in diet. Vitamin E level of 20-50 mg/kg feed has been found effective. It also helps in preventing the rancidity of fat in the feed. When poultry feed containing oil, fat, rice polish or rice bran which are rich in unsaturated fatty acids are stored for long period the unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) are oxidized by oxidative rancidity. To protect UFA from destruction vitamin E or other antioxidants are necessary to be added in feed. Thus vitamin E may be used up to protect feed from rancidity; so vitamin E content is reduced in feed which is responsible for deficiency of vitamin E in poultry. To prevent such conditions, optimum level of vitamin E should be included in poultry ration.
Disease and Condition due to Vitamin Deficiency
Vitamin deficiencies are most commonly due to inadvertent omission of a vitamin premix from the birds’ diet. Multiple signs are therefore seen, although in general, problems with deficiencies of the B vitamins appear first. Because there are some stores of fat-soluble vitamins in the body, it often takes longer for these deficiencies to affect the bird. Treatment and prevention rely on an adequate dietary supply, usually microencapsulated in gelatin or starch along with an antioxidant. Vitamin destruction in feeds is a factor of time, temperature, and humidity. For most feeds, vitamin efficiency is little affected over 2-month storage within mixed feed.
Compiled & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
Image-Courtesy-Google
Reference-On Request.
