Description and composition of the best vitamin complexes for chickens, dosage

Vitamins for chickens and chickens must be supplied with food. Poultry farmers are not always able to correctly select all the food they need for their birds. Special supplements that can be purchased at any veterinary pharmacy will help you cope with this task. Chickens are given vitamins starting from 7-8 days of life. Vitamin supplements are introduced into the feed in small quantities. Give it for 5-7 days, then take a break. The next month, taking vitamin formulations is resumed.

What role do vitamins play for chickens?

It is important that in the first days of life the chicks receive a balanced diet rich in vitamins. After all, nutritious feed is the basis for normal development, excellent health, and, in the future, high productivity of laying hens.

Vitamins are involved in biochemical processes that ensure the vital functions of the avian 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 normal metabolism, proper functioning of organs and the immune system.

True, the bird’s body receives a huge amount of vitamins from food. If they are not in the feed, the chicks will begin to get sick, be stunted, and gain weight poorly.

Useful features of vitamins

For 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, and feather growth. Water-soluble - C, H, B - ensure the functioning of the digestive, cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems.

How to understand that chickens need vitamins

The supply of vitamins to the bird's body ensures the coordinated functioning of all organs and systems. A deficiency of these substances affects the health, well-being, appearance and productivity of 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.

Reduced levels of vitamins can lead to the development of hypovitaminosis or vitamin deficiency.

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

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

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

Natural vitamin supplements

From the first minutes of life, chicks need to be fed properly so that they grow healthy and quickly gain weight. After birth, they can be given low-fat whey. 3 days after birth, the chicks, in addition to millet and mixed feed, are given yolk, cottage cheese, yogurt, fresh grass, and cereal sprouts. On day 5, add grated carrots, cabbage, sorrel, and green onions.

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 once every 2 weeks (1 spoon per 10 birds).

On day 6, chickens can be given vitamin complexes in the dosage specified 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. This additive is added to the food in small doses, however, the food should not be hot, otherwise the beneficial substances will be destroyed. Ready-made premixes are contained in the starter feed.

Review of popular drugs

The need for vitamins in birds changes with age. They are needed most of all in the first weeks of a chick's life. Increased amounts of vitamin supplements are added to the feed during bird illness. Vitamin formulations can be purchased at any veterinary pharmacy. True, the dosage must be prescribed by a veterinarian.

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

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

Fat-soluble vitamins

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

Vitamin A is found in the following preparations: Caroline livestock, 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. In the preparation Rovimix E, Dietevit E + Se, Lovit E+ Se is found in E. K is found in Menadion, Vikasol.

Water-soluble complex

Water-soluble ones include: C, B (1,2,3,4,5,6,12), H, B9 (folic acid). They usually come with food, do not accumulate in the body, and their reserves last for a short time. Vitamin C is found in the drug Ascorbic acid.

B1 - Rovimix 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 feed chickens with vitamins

Chicks that are born should be given a low concentration glucose solution to help the yolk dissolve. Then, instead of plain water, it is better to give diluted whey to improve the microflora of the stomach and 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 their drinking liquid. 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 drinking bowl once a day.

Antibiotic regimen

Chickens are given antibiotics from the tenth day of life. There is no point in taking medications 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 drinks in a dosage of 2 milliliters per liter of water. Birds are fed for 7 days after antibiotics, and then take a break for 2-3 weeks.

Control of vitamins in broiler diets

Chickens will not suffer from vitamin deficiency 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, sprouted grains, and cottage cheese into the birds’ diet.

It must be remembered that to fully provide poultry with all the necessary vitamin supplements, vegetables and herbs alone are not enough. Vitamins are found in a wide variety of foods. For example, B can be found in baker's yeast. Impact dose C - in sprouted grain. Ground grains of wheat, corn, oats contain A, B, E, PP. Boiled yolk contains a lot of vitamin E.

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

Prevention of vitamin deficiency

For normal development, chickens need a balanced diet, vitamin supplements and proper maintenance. The bird should walk in warm weather in the fresh air; the room should be maintained at an acceptable temperature and light conditions.

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