Deleterious substances in

poultry feeds
Table of contents
Harmful supplements in feed
Myctoxin
Alfatoxin
Effects of Deleterious substances in chciken
 There are different kinds of chicken feed available for different breeds, ages and culinary
uses of chickens, but not all feeds are created equal. Some contain ingredients that are
dangerous, and can actually be harmful to both the livestock that consume it and the
humans that consume the livestock.
 Steroid Hormones
 Steroid hormones are added to some chicken feeds, specifically those fed to chickens that
need to grow faster for more mature muscle content before butchering.
 This helps chicken farmers raise and sell chickens ready for slaughtering faster and with
less cost to their operation due to a reduction in feed costs.
 However, these hormones are still present in chicken meat even after slaughtering and
cooking, which means humans are getting this extra dose of steroid hormones too.
Roxarsone
 Roxarsone is an arsenic-based chemical added to some chicken feeds, designed to
fight parasites, increase growth rates and improve the pigmentation in the meat.
 It is organoarsenic compound that have toxic effects like disturbances of the blood
and circulation, damage to the nervous system, and eventually death.
 The American Chemical Society reported at the time of publication that an
estimated 9 billion broiler chickens a year are fed feed containing roxarsone.
 The FDA(Food and Drug Administration) found that roxarsone use was associated
with elevated levels of inorganic arsenic in chicken livers.
Melamine
 Melamine, a chemical used to manufacture plastics, is sometimes added to
chicken feed unknowingly by way of contaminated wheat products.
 Any feed that is found to contain melamine is recalled and the poultry that
consumed it is not sold for human consumption.
 Feeding of melamine contaminated diets to broiler chicken resulted in mortality
and other production losses like reduced weight gain, increased feed conversion
ratio (FCR) and tissue residues mainly in muscles of birds.
Pesticides
 Pesticides are chemicals that help to control insect infestations on agricultural
products, such as the grains and seeds that are ingredients of chicken feed.
 Pesticide contamination can come in the form of residues on grains in feed or in
genetically modified grains that are grown with pesticides as part of their genetic
makeups.
 If they consume anything that has been treated by the pesticide, including insects
or rodents, they can pass the toxic chemical to you through eggs and meat
Mycotoxins in Poultry Feed
 Mycotoxins in poultry feed possess a constant threat to the poultry industry
globally.
 Many of the feed ingredients found in typical poultry rations can be contaminated
by harmful mycotoxins that are ingested by birds and have a number of serious
consequences.
 Some fungi produce mycotoxins on the field, while other fungi produce
mycotoxins during the storage of grains.
 The most common poultry feed ingredients contaminated by mycotoxins include:
 Corn and corn by-products
 Wheat and wheat by-products
 Soybean meal
 Barley
CONT.
 Poultry farm animals have heterogeneous sensitivity to mycotoxins, as different species
suffer from different toxic effects.
 Ducks, geese, and turkeys seem to be more sensitive to mycotoxins than chickens and
quails.
 Young chickens are more sensitive to the effects of mycotoxins.
 Mycotoxins can affect the animals either individually or additively in the presence of more
than 1 mycotoxin
 It may affect various organs such as gastrointestinal tract, liver, and immune system,
essentially resulting in reduced productivity of the birds and mortality in extreme cases
Aflatoxin
 Aflatoxicosis is one of the most common intoxications in modern poultry production
systems.
 Certain species of Aspergillus and Penicillium can produce aflatoxins in feedstuffs.
 The production of aflatoxins can occur either in the field where the crops are grown or
during storage.
 The presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in poultry diets decreases the hatchability, hatchling
weight, growth rate, meat and egg production, meat and egg quality
 As well as vaccination efficiency, as well as impairing the feed conversion ratio and
increasing the susceptibility of birds to disease and mortality.
Coffee Weed Seed
 coffee weed, seeds are frequently found in corn and soybeans.
 When present at ≥2%, they reduce feed intake and lower body weight, increase feed
conversion in broilers, and significantly depress egg production in laying birds.
 Toxic substances such as dioxins, mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticides, veterinary drugs and
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are almost ubiquitous in the environment. Thus, they are also
present in ingredients for poultry feed
 Aflatoxins (AF), zearalenone (ZEN), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisins (FUM), trichothecenes such
as deoxynivalenol (DON), and T-2 toxin are some of the mycotoxins that can significantly impact
the health and productivity of poultry.
 In general, contaminated feeds usually contain more than one mycotoxin.
 Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye and less commonly on other grasses such as wheat. Ergot has an
interesting history.
AF Alfatoxin
ZEN Zearalenone
OTA Ochratoxin
FUM Fumonisins
DON deoxynivalenol
Liver health
Liver lesions Liver lesions are groups of abnormal cells in liver. May
call them a mass or a tumor.

Other common complications

Necrosis Necrosis is the death of body tissue.

Vasoconstriction the constriction of blood vessels, which increases blood

Teratogenic effects abnormal fetal development

Dermal lesions any change in the normal condition of the skin.

impairment of hematological parameters Unusual change in hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC),
white blood cell (WBC) count etc
Gastrointestinal effects
diarrhea Wet droppings
Impaired gut integrity Intestinal integrity of chicken, intactness of
the intestine in maintaining its structure
Severe immunosuppression Suppression of the body's immune system and
its ability to fight infections and other diseases