RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN VITAMIN-E NUTRITION OF TURKEYS

Research and field observations have shown that vitamin E status of po ults is often inadequate during the 5 to 21-day posthatching period. A lthough overt consequences of this inadequacy may not be evident and c lear-cut, subtle adverse effects on health and metabolic efficiency ar e probable, These latter effects can result in uneconomical performanc e of turkeys, It therefore seems advisable to supplement the first die t (starter or prestarter) of poults with 100 to 150 IU of vitamin E, T he cost of doing so will contribute little to the total cost of produc tion and may facilitate more efficient turkey production. In the meant ime, other alternatives that may be effective and economical need to b e evaluated.