From what I understand of chickens, the oil gland in the rump contains an oil the chicken spreads on it's feathers, when sunlight (UV rays) hits the oil, the oil is converted to Vitamin D. I wrote a paper about Vitamin D and one of my cited sources described this process, I don't have either in front of me now, but if someone is really really interested, I can research my files to find it (the search may take a while).
My question is: if a chicken is rumpless, how does the chicken get it's vitamin D?
(For those interested: most all animals make Vitamin D in their skin, same with you and I, some animals are either covered in fur or feathers and must obtain Vitamin D by other means, via food or, in the case of the chicken, an oil gland. Vitamin D is more than the milk vitamin, it is important in the development of the nervous and endocrine systems. Research shows that Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to Diabetes, slow growth rate, mental illness, skin and other cancers, and much much more (many internet sites and research papers exist that you can research). Much of the troubles with a deficiency is actually in the parent, or momma to be exact. The parent lacks sufficient Vitamin D, which allows little for the growing embryo. Then when the baby grows the deficiency leads to underdeveloped body systems, the deficiency is passed on to the next generation. Breaking the cycle calls for increased Vitamin D in the body before formation of the zygote, then sufficient Vitamin D throughout the newborns life. This generation must also keep sufficient Vitamin D available to the body before breeding and bearing young.)
Therefore, I wonder about the health of rumpless breeds, how would they obtain sufficient Vitamin D naturally?
If breeds, such as the Araucana, were breed by natives, did those natives see that the birds obtained Vitamin D (maybe not that they knew what they were giving them, only that the 'feed' seemed to enhance the breed.)
Also, lack of Vitamin D doesn't necessarily make the animal look or act ill, humans in civilized worlds are severely deficient, we spend a lot of time in temperature controlled environments out of the sunlight. Although, I believe the deficiency leads to the many illnesses we do have.
Just Curious.
P.S. Rickets is a severe deficiency of Vitamin D, which is not what I'm discussing. Scientists are currently pursuing a change in our current Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin D. They are looking to increase RDA by 500%. The RDA today is just enough to allow our bodies to utilize the RDA of calcium. New research states we need much more for many other body functions, such as inter-nerve communication.
My question is: if a chicken is rumpless, how does the chicken get it's vitamin D?
(For those interested: most all animals make Vitamin D in their skin, same with you and I, some animals are either covered in fur or feathers and must obtain Vitamin D by other means, via food or, in the case of the chicken, an oil gland. Vitamin D is more than the milk vitamin, it is important in the development of the nervous and endocrine systems. Research shows that Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to Diabetes, slow growth rate, mental illness, skin and other cancers, and much much more (many internet sites and research papers exist that you can research). Much of the troubles with a deficiency is actually in the parent, or momma to be exact. The parent lacks sufficient Vitamin D, which allows little for the growing embryo. Then when the baby grows the deficiency leads to underdeveloped body systems, the deficiency is passed on to the next generation. Breaking the cycle calls for increased Vitamin D in the body before formation of the zygote, then sufficient Vitamin D throughout the newborns life. This generation must also keep sufficient Vitamin D available to the body before breeding and bearing young.)
Therefore, I wonder about the health of rumpless breeds, how would they obtain sufficient Vitamin D naturally?
If breeds, such as the Araucana, were breed by natives, did those natives see that the birds obtained Vitamin D (maybe not that they knew what they were giving them, only that the 'feed' seemed to enhance the breed.)
Also, lack of Vitamin D doesn't necessarily make the animal look or act ill, humans in civilized worlds are severely deficient, we spend a lot of time in temperature controlled environments out of the sunlight. Although, I believe the deficiency leads to the many illnesses we do have.
Just Curious.
P.S. Rickets is a severe deficiency of Vitamin D, which is not what I'm discussing. Scientists are currently pursuing a change in our current Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin D. They are looking to increase RDA by 500%. The RDA today is just enough to allow our bodies to utilize the RDA of calcium. New research states we need much more for many other body functions, such as inter-nerve communication.
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