The Importance of Trace Elements in the Poultry Sector
Function, requirements, and deficiencies of the main trace elements in poultry
Trace elements play an essential role in maintaining animal welfare and productivity.
Trace elements are part of the enzymatic systems of all animal metabolic processes.
Ensuring the correct functioning of animal metabolism also means promoting the intake of the trace elements essential for its regulation.
Trace elements commonly supplemented in poultry feed include Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, Se, and I.
ZINCO
Zinc is the most important trace element for metabolism, as it is a cofactor of more than 200 enzymes such as carbonic anhydrase; it is essential for eggshell formation and for DNA polymerase, which regulates cell replication.
Deficiency symptoms include immunosuppression, poor shell quality, feather loss, dermatitis, and discoloration of plumage (as zinc is a component of feather and plumage pigments).
COPPER
Copper plays an important role in numerous enzymatic functions.
Copper metabolism is closely related to iron metabolism, as most circulating copper is associated with ceruloplasmin, an enzyme that plays an important role in the oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric iron, thus influencing red blood cell formation.
These two metabolic pathways are so closely linked that copper deficiency can cause microcytic hypochromic anemia.
Another important copper-dependent enzyme is lysyl oxidase, which is essential for the formation of elastin and collagen in birds.
Copper therefore also affects the correct development of the osteoarticular system, which is why another symptom of copper deficiency may be the appearance of bone abnormalities due to altered collagen synthesis.
Tibial dyschondroplasia is an example of a leg disorder in poultry that can be caused precisely by copper deficiency.
Altered production of collagen and/or elastin does not only affect the correct development of the locomotor system, but also the elastic components of blood vessels. A copper deficiency that disrupts elastin and collagen synthesis at the vascular level can in fact lead to cardiovascular lesions and aortic ruptures.
The last noteworthy function of copper is its role in feather and plumage development.
Feathers and plumage are made of a particular keratin that, in its three-dimensional structure, contains numerous disulfide bonds.
Copper plays a crucial role in the formation of disulfide bonds, which is why feathering disorders are another symptom potentially related to copper deficiency.
IRON
Iron in the animal body is essential for the formation of the heme group that makes up hemoglobin in red blood cells and myoglobin in muscle cells.
Iron deficiency can cause forms of anemia such as microcytic and hypochromic anemia.
Iron has a rapid turnover in poultry, which is why it is necessary to supply a highly bioavailable form to avoid deficiency conditions.
However, iron deficiency can also occur independently of nutrition, due to rapid depletion of red blood cells following blood losses caused by hematophagous external parasites (such as the feared red mite) or intestinal parasites (coccidia and nematodes).
MANGANESE
Manganese is a component of chondroitin sulfate, an essential mucopolysaccharide of bone cartilage and the inner shell membrane.
Manganese deficiency in poultry leads to bone growth disorders such as perosis and to the production of eggs with poor shell quality.
Poor shell quality, in fact, does not always depend on calcium or vitamin D deficiency
SELENIUM
Selenium is an essential component of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, the first line of defense against oxidative damage caused by free radicals produced during periods of stress.
Oxidative stress is defined as the imbalance between the production of free radicals (highly toxic cellular metabolism by-products) and the organism’s defensive enzymatic mechanisms.
Other selenium-dependent enzymes play essential roles in maintaining pancreatic function and reproduction.
Selenium works synergistically with vitamin E in maintaining oxidative balance, and both are involved in immunomodulation mechanisms.
Discover all our products for trace element and vitamin supplementation.
Trace elements, vitamins, and poultry diets for self-consumption
The correct supply of trace elements is a very delicate issue in animal nutrition, especially with regard to poultry feed formulations for egg or meat production for self-consumption.
If the farmer chooses not to purchase a complete feed but prefers to use a mix of grains, soybeans, cereals, etc. to produce feed independently, it is difficult—without appropriate analyses—to assess the trace element and vitamin content of the feed.
For this reason, Tecnozoo has developed a complementary powdered feed, available in convenient 1 kg buckets, to be mixed with cereals, protein meals, and other feed components in order to supplement the ration with trace elements and vitamins and prevent deficiencies.
Purchase GLADIATOR, a complementary feed for poultry, from our e-commerce: – https://tecnozoo.it/prodotto/gladiator-mangime-per-volatili-complementare/
