Response of Turkey Poults to Vitamin D from Different Sources

Abstract

IT IS difficult to account for the discrepancies in the literature on the response of turkey poults to vitamin D from different sources. Jukes and Sanford (1939) found under their experimental conditions that turkey poults needed a smaller number of A.O.A.C. chick units of vitamin D from sardine oil fortified with fish liver oils than from the U.S.P. reference cod liver oil No. 1. Sanford and Jukes (1944) later confirmed and extended these findings to show that vitamin D from a fish oil blend or activated animal sterol was more effective than vitamin D from U.S.P. reference cod liver oil No. 2 in promoting calcification in turkey poults. Boucher (1944) and Bird (1944) reported that irradiated animal sterol and irradiated 7-dehydrocholesterol were approximately twice as effective for turkeys as the vitamin D in U.S.P. reference cod liver oil No. 2. They found that 200 A.O.A.C. chick units per 100 grams .