What trace elements do chickens need as supplements?

The trace elements chickens need include manganese, iron, copper, zinc, iodine, magnesium, sulfur, selenium, and so on. Although these elements are needed in extremely small amounts, they play a very important role in chickens' growth and development, reproduction, nutrient metabolism, and the quantity of products. Some of these elements are needed in extremely small amounts, and an excess can easily cause poisoning, so the amount given must be accurate and mixed evenly.

Manganese: the main role of manganese is related to phosphorus and calcium metabolism, growth and development, egg growth, embryonic development, reproduction, and health. When the diet lacks manganese, chicks develop poor bone development, perosis, loss of coordination, stunted growth, and weight loss; adult chickens lose weight, eggshells become thinner, and the hatchability rate decreases, and so on. Therefore, manganese is one of the indispensable trace elements in chicken nutrition, and when preparing the diet, the supply of an appropriate amount of manganese should be considered.

Zinc: zinc is one of the elements required for chickens' growth and development. When zinc is deficient, chicks show poor appetite, slow growth, poor feather growth, weak legs, difficulty walking, and swollen joints; laying hens mature sexually later, and the eggs they lay have thinner shells or even soft-shelled eggs. There are more stillbirths, the embryo's body and limbs are deformed, and breaking out of the shell is difficult. Newly hatched chicks are weak, have difficulty standing, and most die within a few days.

Iodine: iodine is essential for the thyroid gland to form thyroxine. Thyroxine is an iodine-containing amino acid, and it has the function of regulating metabolic function and the body's overall oxidation process. When the diet lacks iodine, it easily causes iodine deficiency in chickens, mainly manifested as swelling of the thyroid gland, several times larger than the normal thyroid, reduced metabolic function, stunted growth and development, lethargy, loss of reproductive capacity, and in severe cases death. Selenium: both selenium and vitamin E have antioxidant effects. When selenium is deficient, chickens may develop white muscle disease, exudative diathesis, pancreatic degeneration, slow growth, and so on.