Observations on Vitamin A Deficiency in Turkey Breeding Stock

Abstract

DURING the 1950 turkey breeding season a deficiency of vitamin A was caused by feeding dehydrated alfalfa meal which was low in carotene. Analysis of the meal being fed when the deficiency symptoms were noted showed that it contained only 22,000 units of vitamin A activity per pound whereas the calculated minimum amount was 67,000. Assays on several other meals gave values of about 90,000 units per pound.The mash fed was composed of the following ingredients: fish meal 5%, meat meal 5%, soybean oil meal 14%, dried whey 5%, alfalfa meal 15%, salt 1%, bone meal 2%, ground limestone 2%, fish oil (750A, 400D) 0.5%, wheat millrun 15%, ground yellow corn 10%, ground wheat 6%, ground barley 18.7%, fermentation product (250 mcg. riboflavin/gm.) 0.8%, manganese sulfate 0.05%. The mash was fed with equal parts of grain.Most of the birds were Bronze with some birds of mixed ancestry and .