Production performance, egg quality and energy digestibility in chicken layers fed diets containing aflatoxin-contaminated corn, with or without toxin binder
2024
Bunan, J.A.B.
The dietary effect of a commercial toxin binder on egg production performance, liver and spleen weight, liver lesion score, income over feed cost and energy digestibility in chicken layers was determined in a 16-week feeding trial with five treatments replicated 15 times following Randomized Complete Block Design using three hundred ready-to-lay Babcock pullets. The dietary treatments were: negative control (10ppb aflatoxin); negative control + 2 kg Xpel sup TM/ ton of feed; positive control (200ppb of aflatoxin); positive control + 2 kg Xpel sup TM/ ton of feed; and positive control + 1 kg ElitoxTM/ton of feed. Hen-week egg production was similar among all treatments but lower compared to the expected rate of lay for the strain. The highest weekly rate of lay occurred at 26 weeks of age (negative control + 2 kg XpelTM/ ton of feed) followed by a down-trend up to 33 weeks of age. A second but lower peak occurred at 35 weeks of age. The birds managed to lay 5.60 to 6.03 dozen eggs which proved positive for income based on feed cost. Birds in the positive control had the heaviest livers while those in negative control + 2 Xpel sup TM/ ton of feed had the lightest. Liver lesion scores indicated mild aflatoxicosis in the negative control + 2 Xpel sup TM/ ton of feed, negative control and positive control + 1 kg Elitox sup TM/ton of feed and moderate in the positive control and positive control + 2 kg Xpel sup TM/ ton of feed. Eggs laid were lighter and had lighter yolks than data from literature. Yolk color, shell thickness and egg shape index did not vary among treatments. Energy digestibility was significantly higher in the negative controls with and without toxin binder than in positive controls with and without toxin binder. At 200 ppb in the diet, aflatoxin causes liver damage in layer chickens and lower energy digestibility, thus affecting egg production and egg size. The toxin binders tested are unable to mitigate these effects.
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