Vitamins for chickens: description and composition of the best drugs, dosage

Vitamins for hens and chickens must come from food. It is not always possible for poultry farmers to choose the right food for the birds. Special additives that can be bought at any veterinary pharmacy will help to cope with this task. Chickens are given vitamins starting from the 7-8th day of life. Vitamin supplements are introduced into the feed in small quantities. Give for 5-7 days, then take a break. The following month, the intake of vitamin formulations is resumed.

What role do vitamins play in chickens

It is important that in the first days of life the chicks receive a balanced diet rich in vitamins. After all, a complete feed is the basis for normal development, excellent he alth, and in the future - high productivity of layers.

Vitamins are involved in biochemical processes that ensure the vital activity of the bird's body. Without them, it is impossible to imagine the growth, functioning and constant regeneration of organs and systems. A number of vitamins (B, D) are independently synthesized by the body. They are responsible for the normal metabolism, the full functioning of organs and the immune system.

True, a bird's body receives a huge amount of vitamins from food. If they are not in the feed, then the chicks will start to get sick, lag behind in growth, and gain weight poorly.

Useful features of vitamins

For the normal development of chickens, the entire vitamin complex is needed. Fat-soluble - A, E, B, K - are responsible for growth, vision, regeneration, growth of muscle tissue and skin, fouling with feathers. Water-soluble - C, H, B - ensure the functioning of the digestive, cardiovascular, nervous, immune systems.

How to understand that chickens need vitamins

The intake of vitamins in the bird's body ensures the coordinated work of all organs and systems. The deficiency of these substances affects the he alth, well-being, appearance and productivity of the chicks. Chickens should receive vitamins from food and vitamin preparations. A bird that does not receive all the nutrients in full begins to get sick and may even die.

Low vitamin levels can lead to hypovitaminosis or beriberi.

The cause of the disease can be an unbalanced diet, poor feed quality, expired premix. Fortified feed can be poorly absorbed by the body if the bird has salmonellosis, helminthiasis, diseases of the digestive system.

With a lack of vitamin A, chickens lose their appetite, their beak begins to peel off, their eyesight weakens, and a staggering gait appears.Group B deficiency is manifested by loss of feathers, inflammation of the beak and skin near the anus, convulsions, seizures, head tilting may begin in chickens. With a lack of C, the bird grows poorly, often gets sick.

Hypovitaminosis D leads to the development of rickets, brittle bones. K deficiency can be identified by a pale comb and earrings, ruffled feathers, bruising on the skin. E deficiency is manifested by unsteady gait, muscle weakness, a sharp change in behavior.

Natural vitamin supplements

From the first minutes of life, chicks need to be properly fed so that they grow up he althy and gain weight quickly. After birth, they can be given fat-free whey. 3 days after birth, the chicks, in addition to millet and compound feed, are given yolk, cottage cheese, yogurt, fresh grass, cereal sprouts. On the 5th day, grated carrots, cabbage, sorrel, green onion feathers are added.

Vegetables are given at the rate of 1 gram per bird, over time, the dosage is increased to 5 grams. On the 8th day, brewer's yeast is added to the feed every 2 weeks (1 spoon per 10 birds).

On the 6th day, chickens can be given vitamin pharmacy complexes at the dosage indicated in the instructions. Additives are mixed into moistened food or poured into drinking water. It is allowed to use premixes consisting of a complex of vitamins, various minerals, amino acids and antibiotics. Such an additive in small doses is added to the feed, however, the food should not be hot, otherwise the beneficial substances will be destroyed. Ready premixes are contained in the starter feed.

Overview of popular drugs

Vitamin requirements in birds change with age. Most of all they are needed in the first weeks of life of chickens. An increased amount of vitamin supplements is added to the feed during the period of bird illness. Vitamin formulations can be bought at any veterinary pharmacy.True, the dosage should be prescribed by a veterinarian.

Most often, poultry farmers give the following vitamin complexes to birds as a preventive measure:

1. Aminovital. It is a yellow aqueous solution. Contains eight vitamins, 18 amino acids, trace elements. Give chickens from the eighth day of life. Dosage: 2 milliliters per 10 liters of water for 5-10 days. Reception is repeated every month.
2. Mixovit B. The complex includes: K, C, B 1,2,6,12. It is a yellowish water soluble powder. Mixed into drinking water at the rate of five grams per liter. The supplement is given once a day for 7 days.
3. Immunovital. It is a clear pink liquid that is mixed with water. Dosage: 1-3 milliliters per 1 liter of liquid. The drug increases the immunity of the bird.
4. Prodevit. This is a transparent brownish oily liquid, it contains A, E, D. The drug is added to the feed in 8-20 drops per 1 kg of grain.

Fat soluble vitamins

Fat-soluble include: A, E, K, D. These vitamins accumulate in the body of birds (in the liver, pancreas). Their deficiency, as well as excess, can lead to negative consequences, deterioration in bird he alth.

Vitamin A is found in such preparations: Livestock Caroline, Rovimix A 1000. Rovimix Hy-D, Videin provides the need for vitamin D. Fish oil is a source of A and D. Trivit, Trivitamin contains A, D and E. B Rovimiks E, Dietevit E + Se, Lovit E + Se is E. K is contained in Menadione, Vikasol.

Water soluble complex

Water-soluble include: C, B (1,2,3,4,5,6,12), H, B9 (folic acid). Usually they come with food, do not accumulate in the body, their reserves are enough for a short time. Vitamin C is found in Ascorbic Acid.

B1 - Rovimiks B1, Thiamine bromide. B2: Riboflavin, Rovimix B2. B3 is nicotinic acid. B5: Calcium pantothenate, pantothenic acid. B4 is Choline. Vitamin H - Biotin. B6 is pyridoxine hydrochloride. B12 - Cobalamin.

How to properly solder chickens with vitamins

Chickens that are born should be given a low concentration of glucose to help dissolve the yolk. Then, instead of ordinary water, it is better to give diluted whey to improve the microflora of the stomach, populate it with beneficial bacteria.

Antibiotic-free regimen

On the fifth day of life, chicks can be given A and E. Once a day, half a drop of a vitamin preparation is added to the liquid for drinking. On the 7th day, the dose is increased to 1 drop, vitamins K, B, D are introduced. On the 13th day, 2 drops of a vitamin supplement are added to the water.

Then they take a break for 2 weeks, after which 5 drops of the vitamin composition are dripped into the drinker once a day.

Scheme with the inclusion of antibiotics

Chickens are given antibiotics from the tenth day of life. It makes no sense to take medicines before, since there is no formed microflora in the body of the chicks. Baytril is given as an antibiotic. They drink it for 3 days. The chickens are then given vitamins and probiotics.

You can give the drug Chiktonik. It is added to drink at a dosage of 2 milliliters per liter of water. Birds are soldered for 7 days after antibiotics, and then they take a break for 2-3 weeks.

Control of vitamins in the diet of broilers

Chickens will not suffer from beriberi if you monitor the quality of the feed and give them vitamin supplements in a timely manner. You can cope with a mild form of this disease on your own if you introduce vegetables, herbs, fruits, bone meal, germinated grains, cottage cheese into the diet of birds.

It must be remembered that in order to fully provide the bird with all the necessary vitamin supplements, it is not enough to have vegetables and herbs alone.Vitamins are found in a wide variety of foods. For example, B can be found in baker's yeast. Loading dose C - in germinated grain. Ground grains of wheat, corn, oats contain A, B, E, PP. There is a lot of vitamin E in the boiled yolk.

All these products must be in the diet of chicks. True, they need to be introduced gradually so that the stomach of the birds gets used to the new food.

Prevention of beriberi

For normal development, chickens need a balanced diet, vitamin supplements and proper maintenance. The bird should walk in warm weather in the fresh air, indoors it is necessary to maintain an acceptable temperature and light regime.

For vitamin A enrichment, instead of water, chickens should be given carrot juice. In the diet should be greens, nettles, cabbage, needles, berries, fruits, egg yolk, cottage cheese, beef liver. Birds should not be given fish, legumes, otherwise B1 will collapse.It is recommended to feed with sprouted or ground grain, add dry brewer's yeast to the feed.

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