Extracted From: A Pocket Guide to Poultry Health and Disease By Paul McMullin © 2004 Click Here to Order Your Copy

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.