Zinc deficiency in pheasant chicks fed practical diets.

Area of Science:

• Avian nutrition
• Poultry health
• Animal science

Background:

• Commercial diets are crucial for poultry development.
• Meeting established nutrient requirements is essential for preventing deficiency diseases.
• Pheasant chicks have specific dietary needs for proper growth and development.

Observation:

• Pheasant chicks fed a commercial diet developed abnormal feathering and leg bone deformities (varus deviation of the tarsometatarsus).
• These clinical signs appeared spontaneously despite the diet containing zinc levels that met established requirements for pheasant chicks.
• Supplemental zinc alleviated the clinical signs, suggesting a zinc-related deficiency.

Findings:

• Supplemental arginine did not reduce the severity of the clinical signs.
• Laboratory-mixed diets, even with adjusted calcium and phosphorus or the inclusion of a pellet binder, did not reproduce the severe deformities observed with the commercial diet.
• The commercial diet induced a zinc deficiency syndrome, even when analyzed zinc levels met established requirements, pointing to unidentified dietary factors.

Implications:

• Unidentified dietary factors in commercial feeds can induce nutrient deficiencies in poultry.
• Current nutrient requirement standards may not fully account for interactions or bioavailability issues in practical diets.
• Further research is needed to identify the specific factors causing this zinc deficiency syndrome in pheasant chicks.