Thiamine Deficiency Identification and Treatment in Commercial Turkeys and Coturnix Quail

Day-old turkey poults were obtained from a commercial hatchery which hatched eggs from a particular flock of breeders that produced a considerable number (5–10%) of culls. These cull poults showed symptoms almost classical for polyneuritis. Injection of the poults with a combination vitamin mixture containing thiamine, or of thiamine alone, caused decreased mortality and a remission of symptoms. Poults injected with thiamine grew and developed normally when fed a practical type diet. The addition of 2 mg./kg. of thiamine to the breeder ration caused the condition to disappear in newly-hatched poults from the particular flock involved. Classical symptoms of polyneuritis were noted in newly-hatched quail from breeding flocks fed turkey breeder rations. These quail responded positively to thiamine injection.