Deficiencies of Certain Vitamins as Studied with Turkey Poults on a Purified Diet

Abstract

Young turkeys were found to grow and survive on a purified diet containing synthetic vitamin B complex factors. Slow growth, cervical paralysis, a moderate degree of anemia, and high mortality were observed when pteroylglutamic acid was omitted from the diet. The requirement for pteroylglutamic acid under the conditions of the experiment appeared to be in the neighborhood of 0.8 mg per kilo of diet. A characteristic appearance of the erythrocytes in pteroylglutamic acid deficiency was observed and is illustrated. Riboflavin deficiency resulted in slow growth and dermatitis. A level of 2.5 mg of riboflavin per kilo of diet was not sufficient for growth or protection against dermatitis, but 3.0 mg appeared to be sufficient for the first 6 weeks under the conditions encountered in 1 experiment. A higher requirement, apparently somewhat in excess of 4.0 mg of riboflavin per kilo of diet, was indicated in a second experiment which was made with birds hatched at the end of the breeding season. Omission of niacin from the basal diet resulted in slow growth and high mortality. A level of 20 mg of added niacinamide per kilo of diet enabled the birds to survive but growth was slow and the turkeys developed perosis. A level of 50 mg of added niacinamide appeared to be sufficient for fairly rapid growth and for the prevention of perosis. Inositol deficiency was found to produce slow growth and a normocytic anemia. Substitution of casein for gelatin in the basal diet resulted in slow growth. This may indicate that turkeys, like chicks, require glycine in the diet.