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The Vitamin D Requirements of Ducklings
Research Notes THE VITAMIN D REQUIREMENTS OF DUCKLINGS Fritz, Archer and Barker (1940) fed groups of White Pekin ducklings on a starting ration with graded levels of U.S.P. Reference cod liver oil to supply 0, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 A.O.A:C. chick units of vitamin D per 100 grams of feed respectively. Thirty units produced maximum calcification as measured by the percentage of ash in the dry, fat-free tibiae at 3 weeks of age. This work was repeated using the A.O.A.C. chick test diet, with the vitamin A content of the diets equalized at a high level with a purified vitamin A ester. A fish oil concentrate was used to supply levels of 0, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 80 and 120 A.O.A.C. chick units of vitamin D per 100 grams of feed, respectively. Again, judging by bone ash determinations at 3 weeks of age, 30 units was stated to produce maximum calcification. These investigators concluded that the vitamin D requirements of ducklings was about the same as that of chicks and that 30 A.O.A.C. chick units of vitamin D per 100 grams of ration would produce optimum calcification. However, Ewing (1943) points out that
some criticism has been' directed toward this conclusion by investigators who examined the primary data which is not given in their paper. These critics claimed that "120 units of vitamin D per 100 grams gave the highest bone ash and that the curve of response in bone ash had not leveled off to a straight line at the maximum dosage." This laboratory conducted a preliminary investigation on ducklings in connection with our studies relating to vitamin D in avian nutrition and plasma phosphatase. The Department of Poultry Husbandry at this College have maintained a "homozygous" strain of White Pekin ducks, in which no new blood has been introduced for over 30 years. Previous nutritional studies showed that individuals of this strain had a low coefficient of variation in weight. Six groups, each of 17-20 newly hatched ducklings, were fed for 3 weeks on the A.O.A.C. diet for the assaying of vitamin D carriers with chicks, containing 0, 4.44, 10, 15, 22.5 and 33.75 units of vitamin D per 100 grams of ration respectively, supplied by a
TABLE 1
Units of Vitamin Per Cent Bone D per 100 Grams Ash Ration 0.0 4.44 10.0 15.0 22.5 33.75
36.6 33.9 37.0 37.5 40.2 43.5
Plasma Phosphatase Activity* 0.256 0.281 0.271 0.210 0.204 0.119
Number of Ducks Initial 17 17 17 17 17 20
Average Weight (grams)
Final
Initial
Final
Grams Feed per Gram Gain
9 11 13 15 13 18
52.2 51.1 47.8 48.0 46.6 48.8
187.0 219.5 298.0 370.0 446.0 505.0
4.24 3.09 2.62 2.17 2.58 2.18
* Phosphatase activity is expressed as mgms. P, liberated as inorganic phosphate from sodium glycerophosphate by the enzyme in the plasma of 1.0 ml. blood during a 15 minute reaction period under the following digest conditions: 0.013 M glycerophosphate, 0.1 M NH4OH—NH«C1 buffer, pH 9.7, 0.005 M MgCl 2 at30°C. 298
299
RESEARCH NOTES
previously assayed fortified cod liver oil. At the end of this period, the ducklings were killed and the percentage of bone ash in the dry, fat-free tibiae determined by the A.O.A.C. procedure (1940). Plasma phosphatase activity was measured by a modification of the method of Lundsteen and Vermehren (1936). The results are shown in Table 1. From the bone ash data, it would appear that the level of vitamin D for maximum calcification, as judged by bone ash, was not reached. The activity of plasma phosphatase, decreases with improving calcification as brought about by increasing amounts of vitamin D. These data also indicate that maximum calcification was not achieved. Further work is necessary to establish the level of vitamin D intake to provide maximum calcification, but this work shows that the vitamin D requirement of
White Pekin ducklings is in excess of 30 units per 100 grams of ration. I. MOTZOK W. D. GRAHAM H. D. BRANION S. J. SLINGER Department of Animal Nutrition, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ontario, and Department of Poultry Husbandry, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ontario. Received for publication February IS, 1946. REFERENCES
Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, 1940. Official and tentative methods of analysis. 3 71-3 73. Ewing, W. R. 1943. Handbook of Poultry Nutrition, pp. 890-891. Fritz, J. C , W. Archer and D. Barker, 1940. The vitamin D requirements of ducklings. Poultry Sci. 19:348. Lundsteen, E. and E. Vermehren, 1936. Preliminary experiments on the plasma phosphatases. Comp. Rend. Trav. Carlsburg, Ser. Chim. 2 1 : 147.
ISOLATION OF A TYPE 10 PARACOLON BACILLUS FROM AN ADULT TURKEY On May 10, 1945, a turkey hen sero- of production. No specific lesions were logically positive in a field test to a com- noted. Several ova were in the process of mercial pullorum stained-antigen was sent being reabsorbed. A Salmonella-like orto our diagnostic laboratory for further ganism was isolated from the ovary, restudy. The bird was housed in an indi- absorbing ova, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, vidual all-wire cage and subjected to fur- heart, lungs, liver and gall-bladder. Culther rapid whole blood, and tube ag- tures from these various organs presented glutination tests for pullorum disease. The identical colony characteristics and ferbird was positive to these pullorum tests. mented dextrose, maltose, and mannitol The shell and content of eggs laid by this with acid and gas production in 24 hours. bird and its tissues were cultured by the Sucrose and lactose were not fermented in technic reported by Gauger and Greaves 72 hours. (1945). The culture isolated from the ovary was sent to Dr. P. R. Edwards of the AUTOPSY AND BACTERIOLOGICAL Kentucky Experiment Station for seroFINDINGS logical analysis. It was identified as a type The shells and content of 26 eggs were 10 paracolon bacillus belonging to the negative for Salmonella or Salmonella- "Arizona" group with the antigenic formlike organisms. At autopsy August 20, ula XVIII: Z4X2X7. It is quite probable 1945, the birds were in a full molt and out that this bird was also infected with S.
some criticism has been' directed toward this conclusion by investigators who examined the primary data which is not given in their paper. These critics claimed that "120 units of vitamin D per 100 grams gave the highest bone ash and that the curve of response in bone ash had not leveled off to a straight line at the maximum dosage." This laboratory conducted a preliminary investigation on ducklings in connection with our studies relating to vitamin D in avian nutrition and plasma phosphatase. The Department of Poultry Husbandry at this College have maintained a "homozygous" strain of White Pekin ducks, in which no new blood has been introduced for over 30 years. Previous nutritional studies showed that individuals of this strain had a low coefficient of variation in weight. Six groups, each of 17-20 newly hatched ducklings, were fed for 3 weeks on the A.O.A.C. diet for the assaying of vitamin D carriers with chicks, containing 0, 4.44, 10, 15, 22.5 and 33.75 units of vitamin D per 100 grams of ration respectively, supplied by a
TABLE 1
Units of Vitamin Per Cent Bone D per 100 Grams Ash Ration 0.0 4.44 10.0 15.0 22.5 33.75
36.6 33.9 37.0 37.5 40.2 43.5
Plasma Phosphatase Activity* 0.256 0.281 0.271 0.210 0.204 0.119
Number of Ducks Initial 17 17 17 17 17 20
Average Weight (grams)
Final
Initial
Final
Grams Feed per Gram Gain
9 11 13 15 13 18
52.2 51.1 47.8 48.0 46.6 48.8
187.0 219.5 298.0 370.0 446.0 505.0
4.24 3.09 2.62 2.17 2.58 2.18
* Phosphatase activity is expressed as mgms. P, liberated as inorganic phosphate from sodium glycerophosphate by the enzyme in the plasma of 1.0 ml. blood during a 15 minute reaction period under the following digest conditions: 0.013 M glycerophosphate, 0.1 M NH4OH—NH«C1 buffer, pH 9.7, 0.005 M MgCl 2 at30°C. 298
299
RESEARCH NOTES
previously assayed fortified cod liver oil. At the end of this period, the ducklings were killed and the percentage of bone ash in the dry, fat-free tibiae determined by the A.O.A.C. procedure (1940). Plasma phosphatase activity was measured by a modification of the method of Lundsteen and Vermehren (1936). The results are shown in Table 1. From the bone ash data, it would appear that the level of vitamin D for maximum calcification, as judged by bone ash, was not reached. The activity of plasma phosphatase, decreases with improving calcification as brought about by increasing amounts of vitamin D. These data also indicate that maximum calcification was not achieved. Further work is necessary to establish the level of vitamin D intake to provide maximum calcification, but this work shows that the vitamin D requirement of
White Pekin ducklings is in excess of 30 units per 100 grams of ration. I. MOTZOK W. D. GRAHAM H. D. BRANION S. J. SLINGER Department of Animal Nutrition, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ontario, and Department of Poultry Husbandry, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ontario. Received for publication February IS, 1946. REFERENCES
Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, 1940. Official and tentative methods of analysis. 3 71-3 73. Ewing, W. R. 1943. Handbook of Poultry Nutrition, pp. 890-891. Fritz, J. C , W. Archer and D. Barker, 1940. The vitamin D requirements of ducklings. Poultry Sci. 19:348. Lundsteen, E. and E. Vermehren, 1936. Preliminary experiments on the plasma phosphatases. Comp. Rend. Trav. Carlsburg, Ser. Chim. 2 1 : 147.
ISOLATION OF A TYPE 10 PARACOLON BACILLUS FROM AN ADULT TURKEY On May 10, 1945, a turkey hen sero- of production. No specific lesions were logically positive in a field test to a com- noted. Several ova were in the process of mercial pullorum stained-antigen was sent being reabsorbed. A Salmonella-like orto our diagnostic laboratory for further ganism was isolated from the ovary, restudy. The bird was housed in an indi- absorbing ova, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, vidual all-wire cage and subjected to fur- heart, lungs, liver and gall-bladder. Culther rapid whole blood, and tube ag- tures from these various organs presented glutination tests for pullorum disease. The identical colony characteristics and ferbird was positive to these pullorum tests. mented dextrose, maltose, and mannitol The shell and content of eggs laid by this with acid and gas production in 24 hours. bird and its tissues were cultured by the Sucrose and lactose were not fermented in technic reported by Gauger and Greaves 72 hours. (1945). The culture isolated from the ovary was sent to Dr. P. R. Edwards of the AUTOPSY AND BACTERIOLOGICAL Kentucky Experiment Station for seroFINDINGS logical analysis. It was identified as a type The shells and content of 26 eggs were 10 paracolon bacillus belonging to the negative for Salmonella or Salmonella- "Arizona" group with the antigenic formlike organisms. At autopsy August 20, ula XVIII: Z4X2X7. It is quite probable 1945, the birds were in a full molt and out that this bird was also infected with S.