Studies on prolonged use of monensin as feed additive for broiler chicken.

摘要

Four groups of thirty 1-day-old broiler chicks were fed a diet containing monensin at 121 (recommended level), 363 or 726 mg/kg or a diet without monensin (controls) for 8 weeks. Mean feed intake and body weight gains were significantly lower in thechickens fed monensin at 363 and 726 mg/kg compared with the remaining chicks. A dose dependant increase in feed conversion rate was observed in chickens fed monensin. The serum concentrations of Na+ was unaffected by monensin in the diet. The serum K+concentration was, however, significantly higher in the control chicks (2.50±0.63) than in the chicks fed monensin at 121, 363 or 726 mg/kg (1.99±0.75, 1.83±0.87 or 1.62±0.02 mmol/litre, respectively). It is suggested that this decrease may have been dueto diarrhoea and that the serum Na+ and K+ concentrations are not useful in detecting monensin toxicosis in chickens.