Impact of high dietary vomitoxin on yolk yield and embryonic mortality.
Single Comb White Leghorn hens at 58 weeks of age were given control (C) and vomitoxin (V)-contaminated feed for 4 weeks; then the V treatment was changed to C for 2 subsequent weeks. Fusarium graminearum-infected corn was substituted for sound corn to attain a practical extreme of 38 ppm V. Hen-day production, feed consumption, body weight, and gross pathology were the same between treatments. Egg weight, internal quality, and shell strength were not adversely affected; however, dietary V led to a small reduction in the percentage of yolk while albumen increased. Solids content of both egg components remained unchanged, and no V as such could be detected (less than .2 ppm). Presence of toxic V metabolites in the egg were indicated by increased (although still low) embryonic mortality upon incubation. Improvement in yolk yield and relief from germ losses occurred 1 week after the change from V to C feed. Overall responses to present extreme circumstances were no greater than variation occurring between weeks, and problems in practice seem remote.
Moran
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Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Ferket
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Lun
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D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002642:Chick Embryo / Q000187:drug effects*; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D004528:Egg Shell; D004530:Egg Yolk; D004531:Eggs; D005260:Female; D010047:Ovalbumin; D010058:Oviposition / Q000187:drug effects*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000633:toxicity*; D014255:Trichothecenes / Q000633:toxicity*
D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D014255:Trichothecenes; D010047:Ovalbumin; C007262:deoxynivalenol