Vitamin/Mineral |
Deficiency Symptoms |
Notes |
Iron (Fe) |
Low hemoglobin levels and spasmodic breathing in baby pigs; anemia, reduced growth rate, depressed folic acid levels in all species |
Hemoglobin formation; greater need during high egg production; normal young have iron stores from gestation |
Copper (Cu) |
"Sway Back" and nervous symptoms in lambs and Calves; falling disease in grazing cattle; clean up problems after partuition; hair and wool depigmentation; bone abnormalities in lambs, cattle, swine and poultry; anemia in poultry |
Hemoglobin formation; normal reproduction; proper bone formation; sheep can withstand only very small doses |
Cobalt (Co) |
Listlessness; loss of appetite; weakness and anemia; fatty degeneration of liver |
Constituent of B-12 molecule; adequate amounts necessary for synthesis of B-12 in ruminants |
Iodine (I) |
Extreme weakness in foals; hairlessness, thick skins, puffy necks in swine; enlargement of thyroid gland (goiter); death or chronic weakness of offspring; removal at young age results in stunted growth in all species |
FDA regulated; essential to normal thyroid function; plays a role in metabolism regulation through association with thyroid |
Manganese (Mn) |
Weak and reduced rate of growth, delayed sexual maturity, birth of small offspring, defective blood clotting, skeletal deformities |
Normal bone development; active in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism; active in many enzyme functions |
Zinc (Zn) |
Slow growth, shortened long bones, poor feathering in chickens; inflamed skin around nose & mouth, stiffness of joints, rough skins, retarded growth in calves; Dermatitis retarded growth, skin lesions in swine; swollen feet, decreased testicular development in swine and calves. |
Essential to proper immune response; factor in tissue integrity; depressed by high calcium diets |
Selenium (Se |
White muscle disease (dystrophy); liver necrosis; exudative diathesis; slow growth |
Antioxidant; apparent synergistic relationship with Vitamin E; proper levels can result in lower somatic count in dairy cattle; maximum allowable levels in feed: .3ppm |
Magnesium (Mg) |
Irritability, reluctance to stand, loss of equilibrium, tetany and death in swine; relationship to grass tetany in cattle; Hyperirritability, convulsions, death in chickens |
Closely related to calcium and phosphorous; factor in normal bone development; activator of various enzymes; buffer |
Calcium (Ca) |
Abnormal bone and tooth development; Abnormal blood clotting; "Rickets" |
Normal bone development; synergistic relationship with phosphorous and Vitamin D; vital for muscle contraction, neuromuscular activity, hormone secretion |
Phosphorous (P) |
"Bone chewing" by cattle; fragile bones, retarded growth, "Rickets", stiff joints in all species |
Synergistic relationship with calcium and Vitamin D; High concentration results in calcium deficiency |
Potassium (K) |
Heart lesions, high mortality, retarded growth tubular degeneration of kidneys and muscular dystrophy in other species |
Essential to electrolyte balance and neuromuscular function |
Sodium (Na) |
Decreased production, poor growth and muscle cramps, craving for salt |
Caution that helps maintain osmotic pressure, acid base and body fluid balance; essential to proper nerve transmission and active transport of amino acids |
Chlorine (Cl) |
Nervous condition; poor growth, mortality in all species |
Anion active regulation of blood Ph; Vital to activation of amylase |
