Effects of long-term feeding of diets containing moniliformin, supplied byFusarium fujikuroi culture material, and fumonisin, supplied by Fusarium moniliforme culture material, to laying hens

Beginning at 24 wk of age, control diets or diets containing 50 or 100 mg/k g moniliformin (M), 100 or 200 mg/kg fumonisin B-1 (FB1), or a combination of 50 mg M and 100 mg FB1/kg of diet were fed to White Leghorn laying hens for 420 d. The hens were then fed the control diet for an additional 60 d. At the beginning of the experiment, each treatment consisted of four replic ates of six hens. Egg production was reduced by approximately 50% by the en d of the second 28-d laying period and remained at approximately this level for the 420 d in only the hens fed the diet containing 100 mgM/kg feed. Pr oduction returned to control levels or above within 60 d after hens were fe d the control diet. Egg weights were reduced by the 100-mg M diet during th e first three 28-d laying periods before returning to weights comparable wi th controls. The hens in this group also had significantly lower body weigh ts than the other treatments. Mortality was minimal except in hens fed the 100 mg M/kg diet and the 100 mg FB1/kg diet, on which approximately 20% of the hens died. The hens were artificially inseminated with semen from males fed control diets, and fertility was not affected by the dietary treatment s. Importantly, toxic synergy between M and FB1 was not observed for any of the parameters measured. Results indicate that laying hens may be able to tolerate relatively high concentrations of M and FB1 for long periods of ti me without adversely affecting health and performance, Interestingly, hens fed the 100-mg M/kg diet were able to recover when returned to control diet s. The likelihood of encountering M or FB1 at these concentrations in finis hed feed is small.