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Biotin
 Biotin is also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H, its role in poultry health and problems that can occur if birds are deficient.
Biotin is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin that is required for cell growth, the production of fatty acids and the metabolism of both fats and amino acids. Biotin also assists in carbon dioxide transfer and helps to maintain blood sugar levels.
In humans and other animals biotin is essential for healthy hair growth and in poultry it is vital for good feather production and skin condition. A lack of biotin in breeding birds diets may cause an increase in embryonic mortality and chicks that do hatch will be more likely to suffer from skeletal deformities. Other symptoms of biotin deficiency include: reduced growth rates; poor feathering; scaly dermatitis on the feet with scabs spreading to around the beak and eyes and an increased incidence of sudden deaths from fatty liver and kidney syndrome.
Unlike fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) the water-soluble B vitamins are not stored in the body and so, deficiencies can be noticed quickly. Good sources of biotin include maize germ meal and yeast products. The amount of biotin available from cereal grains is extremely variable, therefore it is important to ensure birds are fed a balanced poultry ration which contains the correct levels of all the essential vitamins needed for healthy birds.
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