Biotin requirement of turkey poults

Pododermatitis in turkeys

Severe pododermatitis is a common lesion in turkeys, unlike in broiler chickens. Both dietary factors (soybean meal, biotin, methionine) and poor litter conditions (wet litter) are documented etiologies of footpad lesions. In the United States and United Kingdom both farm managers and processors monitor lesions. The United Kingdom reports an average footpad relative score higher than that of the United States. In both countries, incidence in toms is higher than in hens. There is no significant difference by country. Data support no consistent association with other lesions (i.e., breast blisters or condemnations), breed, or performance parameters (i.e., weight gain or age). The litter type used in the United Kingdom is either straw or wood shavings, whereas in the United States producers predominantly use wood shavings. In the United Kingdom, diets are formulated with a higher protein, which affects the excreta and subsequent litter conditions. British United Turkey is the predominate breed in the United Kingdom. In the United States, three breeds, British United Turkey of America, hybrid, and Nicholas, are common. Recent research has demonstrated the association between biotin levels and pododermatitis. Factors associated with pododermatitis (such as production systems, wet litter, and stocking density) are discussed. There are some indications that increased stocking density is associated with pododermatitis lesions. Further research is needed to identify what management factors are associated with pododermatitis.

Effects of biotin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid on the growth of Mycoplasma meleagridis, a turkey pathogen

The biotin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid requirements of Mycoplasma meleagridis were determined in vitro by examining the growth and survival of the organism in the presence of varying concentrations of these factors. Growth and survival were also studied in the presence of aminopterin and methotrexate which prevent utilization of folic acid, and in the presence of avidin, a known biotin antagonist. Whereas pantothenate appeared to have no obvious effect on growth or survival, folate was marginally stimulatory at only the highest concentration tested. Aminopterin exerted a slight, but not significant, inhibitory effect at four of the five concentrations tested. In contrast, the inhibition seen with methotrexate increased, dependent on dose. Biotin exerted a pronounced stimulatory effect at the two highest concentrations tested. Avidin inhibited growth only at one of the concentrations tested; however, this concentration did not correspond to the greatest amount of avidin. The possible significance of the avidin-biotin relationship to the etiology of Turkey Syndrome 1965 is explored on the basis of these in vitro observations and previous in vivo findings.

Biotin and early poult growth

Commerical Broad Breasted White male poults were fed either a soybean and milo ration, or similar rations containing 7.5% or 20% animal protein, for a period of 0-8 weeks. Three groups of 48 birds each were fed each of the three rations which were isocaloric (2926 M.E. Cal. /Kg. of ration) but differed slightly in protein content. Other groups were fed identical rations supplemented with biotin at a level of 220 mcg/kg. When the growth data were analyzed by analysis of variance, highly significant differences noted for treatment (P less than or equal to 0.01). Biotin supplementation of the soybean-milo ration gave no response, but supplementation of the rations containing animal protein with biotin gave excellent growth responses. When the data were combined so that the effect of biotin could be evaluated, a highly significant (P less than or equal to 0.005) improvement in growth was obtained by supplementing the rations with biotin. Feed efficiency was found to be closely related to growth rate. Mortality did not appear to be related to diet, with the differences being non-significant statistically.