Vitamin B/Riboflavin deficiency, amazed of what problems it causes

[ChickenCanoe]

During molt, or any time hens aren't in production the combs will pale and shrivel.
I can't imagine any major feed manufacturer not including all the vitamins and minerals chickens are known to need in the proper ratios.
They proportion each nutrient individually.

The small outfits will use a vitamin and mineral pack. Then it depends on how they mix the ingredients.

Having worked in automated feed mills, I can see in some of the older mills how an ingredient portioner could get clogged and when called for it may not deliver. But that is extremely rare because the feeds are assayed regularly. If a nutrient is missing or low in the assay, they immediately fix the problem. It does their reputation and business no good if they don't deliver the goods.
Lots of vitamins and minerals are already in the main ingredient grains and legumes, just not in sufficient amounts so need to be supplemented.

I'm going to the feed store tomorrow and will look at the ingredient list on Nutrena's Feather Fixer but I can't imagine riboflavin is excluded unless there is sufficient amount in the primary ingredients.

Let me ask the OP this. Is there alfalfa meal in the feed? That is a good source of riboflavin and if the assay shows there is enough, it may not need to be added.

 

[FireGurl26]

OK, look who just caught up....ME! Apparently...I had a "Derp" moment. So, thank you to all who responded. I must've looked at the "Guaranteed Analysis" on the label online for my feed and others. Digging deeper I saw the full ingredient lists on the feeds. So, yes vitamins are in there. I don't have my bag label for my feed cuz I empty the bags in a large metal can, covered...and throw away the bags. So, thank you guys for setting me str8! No wonder "Nutrena" hasn't responded to me yet...they are probably like..."How dense is this girl?!" lol!
So, good thing is the RIR hen is doing better...i am hoping it will stay that way when the supplement is done. And also...my other girls seem to have a much better appetite after drinking the Vitamin supplement. I need to go edit my first post now...again..thanks for all the help!

Yes, i see what you are saying. I only read the "Guaranteed Analysis". I posted my mistake and quoted it above. For some reason though it seems as she was deficient in one of these vitamins. Maybe she wasn't eating as much as the other girls...because of the moult. ANd became deficient. Or, this improvement is only temporary...or..maybe she sprained her leg and is getting better...but that last theory i dunno. Can a sprained leg get better in not even 3 days. I am contributing her improvement on the supplement i have been giving her.

 

[rebrascora]

Being vaccinated for Marek's is not guaranteed to prevent her from getting Marek's. It should prevent her from dying from it though.
Moulting is a stressful time and Marek's outbreaks occur at times of stress. In my experience Marek's sufferers can be fine one day, lame the next and then sometimes floundering on the ground unable to get up the next and then a few days or a week or two weeks later, they are pretty much miraculously recovered, like there was never anything wrong. Whilst vitamins will help support their immune and neurological systems, I am not convinced that the birds are suffering from a vitamin deficiency in the first place. I think it is an easy assumption to make because some seem to get better after being given vitamins. It is a lot easier to believe that than to contemplate that your flock may have Marek's

 

[ChickenCanoe]

OK, look who just caught up....ME! Apparently...I had a "Derp" moment. So, thank you to all who responded. I must've looked at the "Guaranteed Analysis" on the label online for my feed and others. Digging deeper I saw the full ingredient lists on the feeds. So, yes vitamins are in there. I don't have my bag label for my feed cuz I empty the bags in a large metal can, covered...and throw away the bags. So, thank you guys for setting me str8! No wonder "Nutrena" hasn't responded to me yet...they are probably like..."How dense is this girl?!" lol!
So, good thing is the RIR hen is doing better...i am hoping it will stay that way when the supplement is done. And also...my other girls seem to have a much better appetite after drinking the Vitamin supplement. I need to go edit my first post now...again..thanks for all the help!

When I dump bags of feed into bins, I drop one of the ingredient lists in the bin, which has the type of feed and often the manufacture date. Then when all feeds start to look the same
I often put the manufacture date on the side of the bin so when I get new feed I know which is older to use that first.

Yes, i see what you are saying. I only read the "Guaranteed Analysis". I posted my mistake and quoted it above. For some reason though it seems as she was deficient in one of these vitamins. Maybe she wasn't eating as much as the other girls...because of the moult. ANd became deficient. Or, this improvement is only temporary...or..maybe she sprained her leg and is getting better...but that last theory i dunno. Can a sprained leg get better in not even 3 days. I am contributing her improvement on the supplement i have been giving her.

It could have been anything but it is important to keep in mind that deficiencies are possible and can cause a variety of symptoms.
Chickens heal quickly.

 

[pasuit]

Been raising chickens for years from vitamin E deficiency to broken legs and toes. Not this one. This is great inf. Kudos.

 

[FireGurl26]

Being vaccinated for Marek's is not guaranteed to prevent her from getting Marek's. It should prevent her from dying from it though.
Moulting is a stressful time and Marek's outbreaks occur at times of stress. In my experience Marek's sufferers can be fine one day, lame the next and then sometimes floundering on the ground unable to get up the next and then a few days or a week or two weeks later, they are pretty much miraculously recovered, like there was never anything wrong. Whilst vitamins will help support their immune and neurological systems, I am not convinced that the birds are suffering from a vitamin deficiency in the first place. I think it is an easy assumption to make because some seem to get better after being given vitamins. It is a lot easier to believe that than to contemplate that your flock may have Marek's

I totally agree with you! Vaccinations are good but not 100%. I will be keeping an eye out for everything.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I just wanted to post this in case there are peeps out there that don't know about this. I found my RIR hen in nest box at night (When i go check and make sure they are all in coop) a few days ago and wouldn't stand on Left leg. I thought she may have injured it since they were cooped up in the run and coop all day that day. So, I did research that night, and wanted to go with the simplest cure first. We don't have a chicken vet up here, so kinda on our own. She wouldn't walk or stand, and when she did she went backwards and limped hard. So, I seperated her from the rest of my flock of 25 and put her in our makeshift chicken cage hospital. Gave her some food and water, went to TSC the next morning. I bought what is called "Rooster Booster, Poultry Cell". That morning i gave her 1cc of the liquid str8 to the beak. Gave some wet cat food for extra protein as well. So, so far...today is the 3rd day now, and she is standing. Still hobbling mind you, but dramatic improvement. Everyday been giving her 1cc first thing in the morning. Who would've thought about Vitamin B/Riboflavin deficiency. We use "Nutrena Feather Fixer" because of the extra protein. Especially cuz this is our girls first moult and it is lasting forever! Anyways, now I mixed the "Rooster Booster, Poultry cell" liquid in with their waterers (3 1/2 gallon buckets with nipplers) and the other girls seem more energetic now as well and less pale combs with a much heartier appetite.
Just wanted to give a heads up to anyone out there that may have a similar problem. It seems to always help to start with the simpler fixes first before major fixes.

Yeah...I had that problem at one point and everything I could find on the internet was telling me that this was Marek's.

Thankfully, Merck Veterinary Manual saved the day (love that book). Since then, I've done some research and found that Riboflavin deficiency is supposed to be the top deficiency in chicken feed, and one of the number one causes for broody-raised chicks to die, fully-formed, in the shell. And since that day, I've offered spinach and dandelion leaves (high in riboflavin) to my chicks, even if it is too cold for them to go outside.

 

[pasuit]

Yeah...I had that problem at one point and everything I could find on the internet was telling me that this was Marek's.

Thankfully, Merck Veterinary Manual saved the day (love that book). Since then, I've done some research and found that Riboflavin deficiency is supposed to be the top deficiency in chicken feed, and one of the number one causes for broody-raised chicks to die, fully-formed, in the shell. And since that day, I've offered spinach and dandelion leaves (high in riboflavin) to my chicks, even if it is too cold for them to go outside.

 

[pasuit]

Good advice. Thanks.