Introduction
Vitamin A deficiency is occasionally seen in chickens and turkeys (insufficient vitamin A during 1-7 weeks of age). As in the case of other nutritional deficiencies, classic signs of deficiency are very rare in commercial poultry fed complete diets.
Signs
- Poor growth.
- Poor feathering.
- Nasal and ocular discharge.
- Drowsiness.
- Pale comb and wattles.
- Eyelids stuck shut with thick exudate.
Post-mortem lesions
- Eyelids inflamed and adhered.
- Excessive urates in kidneys and ureters.
- Pustules in mouth and pharynx.
- Microscopically – squamous metaplasia of epithelia.
Diagnosis
Signs, lesions, feed formulation. Differentiate from Infectious coryza, chronic fowl cholera, infectious sinusitis etc.
Treatment
Vitamin A in drinking water.
Prevention
Supplementation of diet with vitamin A, antioxidant, good quality raw materials.