Impact of Mycotoxins on Performance of Poultry
Even low levels of mycotoxins impact on performance of poultry.
- The hidden threat of toxins from mould is well recognised, with many countries and regions having controls in place to limit animal exposure by testing raw materials or applying proven mycotoxin binders in feed.
- The longitudinal three-year study, a first of its kind in this field, was conducted by
a) Oluwatobi Kolawole at the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) at Queen’s University Belfast, in partnership with agri technology company Devenish. Published in the Toxins journal of July 2020,
b) the study demonstrated the negative effects of low levels of naturally-occurring toxic substances, i.e. mycotoxins found in animal feed, on poultry performance.
a) Reduced feed consumption
b) Poor growth rates
c) Reduced egg production
d) Reduced feed conversion efficiency
e) Increased susceptibility to diseases
f) Increased mortality
e) Poor egg shell quality
f) Reduced fertility
g) Leg problems
- Layers:
a) The longer production cycle (70 weeks or more) makes them ideal candidates for chronic mycotoxicosis.
b) This can be further influenced by the increased use of feed by-products raw materials in layer diets, which can contain up to three times more mycotoxins than grains.
c) Even a moderate mycotoxin challenge will hit layer production with estimated losses of 0.07 eggs/hen/week causing economic losses to poultry farmers.
- Broilers:
a) Mycotoxin contamination of feed or litter can suppress the immune system.
b) Mycotoxins can also directly compromise bone strength, feed intake, weight gain, feed efficiency and meat quality.
c) Field trials suggest even a moderate mycotoxin challenge could reduce growth rates by 2.5g/day in Broilers.
d) FCR performance across the crops varied by as much as 14 points, resulting in a significant impact on bird performance and profitability.
- Breeders:
a) Mycotoxicoses are a big threat to commercial breeding units.
b) This is because any reduction in bird fertility or egg hatchability is extremely costly.
- Mycotoxin contamination, are becoming topical because Poultry feed contain various raw materials that were produced under different climatic conditions and were transported and stored differently.
- Right Toxin Binder:
a) Feed to food chain is interlinked and need a holistic focus on safety.
b) Hygiene and safety of feed can be achieved by choosing right Toxin binders which only binds Mycotoxins.
- Intelligent feed additive solutions have been proven to support animal performance in challenging situations boosting productivity.
- One can use toxin binders like Toxifree of Norel
a) at 1kg for ton of feed which minimises the chances mycotoxins in feed.
b) Toxifree is a dipolar phyllossillicate formulated to absorb aflatoxin, T-2 and ochratoxin up to 5000 ppb level👍
c) Toxifree is compatible with all feed ingredients and doesn’t absorb vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
d) Reduces the chances of immuno suppression 👌
e) improves productivity in Layers, Breeders and Broilers.👏
Subhodayam
Dr V. Rajendra Prasad
