Causes of Poultry Deficiency in Protein and Amino Acids

Protein is the material basis of life, an organic macromolecule, the basic organic matter that constitutes a cell, and the main bearer of life activities. Without protein there is no life. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins. It is a substance closely related to life and various forms of life activities. Every cell and every major part of the body has proteins involved. This article explains the reasons for the lack of protein and amino acids in poultry from the following three points：

1. Insufficient protein and amino acid content in the feed

The content of protein and amino acid in common feed for poultry has great difference. The protein content in grain and bran feedstuffs is less, and the nutritional value is not complete, especially the lack of methionine and lysine. The animal protein feed has a higher protein content, and the types of amino acids are relatively complete. If the type of feed is single, the diet is unreasonable, and the long-term lack of animal protein feed can cause the lack of protein and amino acids.

In addition, the protein and amino acid requirements of poultry are closely related to the type, breed, age, production performance, ambient temperature and dietary energy level of poultry and other factors. For example:

1) Broiler chicks and breeder chicks need the most protein and amino acids in the brooding stage, and then gradually decrease as the chicks grow.

2) Meat-type poultry requires a higher amount than egg-type poultry.

3) The poultry in the growth and development stage is higher than the adult poultry.

4) The requirement of laying hens is relatively large from the first laying to the peak of laying eggs, which will decrease accordingly with the decrease of laying eggs.

5) When the temperature is high, the feed intake decreases, and the protein content in the feed should also increase at this time.

6) When the energy level of the diet is high, the poultry will automatically reduce the feed intake. At this time, the protein and amino acid content in the feed must also be increased.

Therefore, if the differences in the protein and amino acid requirements of the above factors are ignored in the feeding of poultry, and a certain formula is used unchanged for a long time, it will also cause the lack of protein and amino acids.

2. Unbalanced combination of amino acids

Due to the lack of feed protein, it will inevitably cause the lack and imbalance of amino acids. Even the lack of one amino acid will affect the utilization of other amino acids, resulting in the lack of multiple amino acids. For example, lysine, methionine and tryptophan in essential amino acids are restricted by poultry when they use other amino acids to synthesize protein (called limiting amino acids). Therefore, when long-term feeding of feed containing less of the above three amino acids (such as corn and sorghum and other grains, bran feed), other amino acids cannot be utilized, resulting in a lack of amino acids.

There is also a special relationship between certain amino acids, such as tyrosine and cystine, which can be converted from phenylalanine and methionine, respectively, in birds. When the former two are deficient, the poultry's requirement for the latter two amino acids will increase, resulting in a lack of phenylalanine and methionine. Although glycine can be synthesized in poultry, it is synthesized slowly in chicks, which cannot meet the needs of rapid growth of chicks. Therefore, careless supplementation of glycine in the diet of chicks can easily cause its deficiency. In addition, poor consideration of the antagonism and transformation relationship between certain amino acids can also cause the lack of certain amino acids.

3. Insufficient protein intake caused by illness

Poultry pasteurellosis, coccidiosis, digestive tract inflammation and digestive dysfunction can affect the digestion, absorption and utilization of protein in poultry. Certain febrile diseases and chronic wasting diseases, such as poultry tuberculosis, Marek's disease, avian leukaemia, and digestive tract nematodes, can increase protein consumption in poultry. When the content of sugar and fat in the diet is insufficient, it not only strengthens the decomposition of protein, but also affects the synthesis of protein.

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