Vitamin D Deficiency in Adult Quail and Chickens and Effects of Estrogen And Testosterone Treatments. ∗ †

Abstract

Summary

Mature male quail remained in a good physical condition even though no vitamin D was given for a year. In contrast, high mortality occurred in the vitamin D deficient females, even though calcium balance was not different from that observed in the male quail. It was suggested that the requirement of adult male birds for vitamin D is either very low or non-existent. Injections of testosterone and estradiol into vitamin D deficient hens did not influence egg production, but significantly improved bone ash of tibia, sternum, and femur. Alleviation of debility caused by the vitamin D deficiency was observed in laying hens when testosterone was