Responses of meat chickens offered 4-deoxynivalenol- and zearalenone-containing wheat, naturally infected with Fusarium graminearum

Abstract

The responses of meat chickens offered wheat naturally infected with F. rarninearum Schwabe (DONZEA wheat), a control wheat, a protein and trace nutrient concentrate (PTNC), and diets comprising a mixture of PTNC with either DON-ZEA or control wheat were examined over the period from 7 to 28 days of age. The six treatments were: (1) a choice of PTNC, DON-ZEA wheat and control wheat, (2) a choice of PTNC and DON-ZEA wheat, (3) a choice of PTNC and control wheat, (4) a choice of a PTNC and DON-ZEA wheat diet and a PTNC and control wheat diet, (5) a PTNC and DON-ZEA wheat diet, (6) a PTNC and control wheat diet. The DON-ZEA wheat and the DON-ZEA diet contained 19 and 12 mg 4-deoxynivalenol kg-', respectively, and 3 and 2.6 mg zearalenone kg-1, respectively. Each treatment was assigned to three groups of 10 chickens in a randomized block design. The primary response in chickens offered DON-ZEA wheat, either separately or in mixed diets, was a reluctance to eat the affected feed. This was most evident in treatment 1 when given a choice between DON-ZEA wheat (103 g wheat consumed bird -1) and control wheat (505 g wheat bird-1), and in treatment 4 when offered the DON-ZEA diet (326 g bird-1) and the control diet (821 g bird-1). The chickens showed less reluctance to eat the DON-ZEA wheat (396 g wheat bird-1) and the DON-ZEA diet (1073 g bird-1) when these were offered as the sole grain (treatment 2 ) or diet (treatment 5), respectively, although intakes were less than that of the control wheat (570 g wheat bird-') and of the control diet (1184 g bird-1) when these were offered as the sole grain or diet (treatments 3 and 6, respectively). It is concluded that diets based on wheat naturally infected with F. graminearurn may depress growth rate in meat chickens by reducing their feed consumption.