Avitaminosis K in veterinary practice is a shortage of the vitamin of the same name in the body of poultry.
Vitamin K is actively involved in many metabolic processes occurring in the internal organs of the chicken, so its lack can lead to disastrous consequences.
We will talk more about this in this article and find out the degree of danger of this shortage, as well as what can be done to prevent harm.
What is vitamin K deficiency in chickens?
Avitaminosis K is manifested when the lack or full absence of the vitamin of the same name begins to be felt in the chicken's body. It is well established that vitamin K (or phylloquinone) contributes to good blood coagulation. With the help of phylloquinone, blood prothrombin is synthesized. He plays an important role during the formation of blood clots in the plasma.
The lack of vitamin K leads to the fact that the bird can suffer from permanent blood loss if it gets hurt anywhere. The blood will gradually flow out, which can also threaten chicken infection.
As a rule, blood poisoning in poultry is difficult to cure, so if this type of beriberi is detected, timely measures should be taken.
Causes of illness
The cause of beriberi K, like any other type of beriberi, is the systematic malnutrition of young and adult individuals.
As a rule, avitaminosis K develops in those birds that have not received or received in limited quantities this vitamin along with feed.
Another cause of beriberi can be any disease of the bile ducts and the digestive system.
The fact is that for a good digestibility of this vitamin you need a sufficiently large amount of bile acids, so vitamin deficiency can manifest itself due to diseases affecting the intestines. Gradually, the synthesis of the vitamin is broken, which leads to its lack of poultry in the body.
Also, the cause of the lack of vitamin K can be any serious infectious disease. During this period, chickens need more vitamins, so the body absorbs more and more phylloquinone, which does not have time to be synthesized again.
Course and symptoms
Avitaminosis K often suffers from laying hens and chickens. This disease is characterized and mild and severe disordersoccurring throughout the body of the chicken.
At first, she loses her appetite, her skin becomes dry and jaundiced. In the same color is painted comb and earrings. In the complicated form of avitaminosis in birds, internal hemorrhages can occur, which can be easily identified by bird droppings: blood begins to appear in it.
Some bird breeders notice that their chickens are sick after another vaccination. Immediately after the injection, the blood in the wound does not stop, which in the future can lead to extensive infection. Also, the blood does not clot after any other injuries.
A lack of vitamin K can increase the number of dead embryos from the 18th day of incubation. Daily hens have hemorrhages in the gastric tract, liver and under the skin.. Constant hemorrhages not only harm the health of the young, but also worsen the quality of the meat, so farmers cannot use such carcasses.
Fortunately, from avitaminosis K chickens never die. They may die due to the consequences that accompany this disease, but it takes a long time to do so. This makes it possible to take timely measures to save livestock.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis of avitaminosis K is put on the basis of the general clinical picture, data of a patanatomical study of dead birds, as well as the analysis of food that fed the chickens before the first symptoms.
All studies are conducted in laboratories, where they accurately determine the amount of vitamin present in the body of sick birds.
To accurately determine that the bird suffers from this type of beriberi, blood is taken from it for analysis. For serum, you can set the level of vitamin K.
Another way to determine avitaminosis K is to measure the rate of blood coagulation. In normal chickens, blood clots in 20 seconds, but in the case of a disease, this period may be increased by 7 times.
Treatment
For the treatment of avitaminosis K, special fortified feeds or supplements to them are used. Especially weakened birds that refuse to feed, vitamin A can be given by intramuscular injection. Thus, the speed of its absorption increases, which has a positive effect on the condition of the bird.
During the treatment of mild forms of the disease can be used natural food. Phylloquinone found in abundance in green fodder and meat meal, so the birds need to be periodically fed with such feed.
It is especially strictly necessary to monitor the nutrition of birds in the winter, when the body is most susceptible to various diseases, including avitaminosis.
For the treatment of a large number of chickens in practice, use the drug vikasol. It is added to feed for birds at a dosage of 30 g per 1 kg of feed. The course of treatment lasts 4 days, and after that a break is taken for 3 days.
Prevention
The best prevention of beriberi is proper nutrition of chickens. That is why you need to order feed from trusted manufacturers or to manufacture their feed.
In no case can not buy cheap feed, as they may contain an insufficient amount of nutrients that in the future adversely affect the overall condition of the population.
Chickens need to be given vitamins in a timely manner during the winter, when their bodies are particularly weak. Herbal and meat flour, as well as special preparations mixed with food can be used as prophylactic agents.
Conclusion
Avitaminosis K is an unpleasant disease that weakens the bird. Fortunately, it is quite well treated in the early stages, so to prevent it, it is enough to monitor the feeding of chickens, and in the event of a disease, the farmer will react quickly enough not to start vitamin deficiency.
The hens of La Flush, also known as the black devils, have great potential.No less dangerous and vitamin E deficiency in chickens. On this page you can read everything about him.
