Fowler J, Hashim M, Barrientos-Velazquez A, Deng Y and Bailey CA
To evaluate the efficacy of a calcium bentonite clay for the amelioration of the effects of aflatoxin on broiler growth performance and relative organ weight, a total of 288 one-day old Ross 308 straight-run broilers were fed a commercial type corn-soy broiler starter diet formulated with 20% DDGS over a three-week rearing period. There is evidence that fermentation co-products can have increased mycotoxin concentrations than compared to the original grain. Four mash basal diets were prepared using various concentrations of clean corn and DDGS and aflatoxin-contaminated corn and DDGS and were found to contain 16, 228, 366 and 681 ppb aflatoxin in the final feeds. Each diet was then blended with 0.5% of either a non-binding kaolinite or aflatoxin-binding calcium bentonite clay, which were sprayapplied as a liquid suspension during mixing. Weekly feed consumption and body weights per pen were recorded. On day 21, all birds were killed and weighed individually, and the liver, kidney, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius from were weighed and relative organ weights were calculated. All data were analyzed as a 2×4 full-factorial with 2 sources of clay at 4 concentrations of aflatoxin. All levels of aflatoxin significantly (p ≤ 0. 05) increased cumulative feed conversion and decreased broiler productivity index at 21 days of age. Relative liver weights were significantly increased by all aflatoxin levels. Relative kidney weights were significantly higher beginning at the 366 ppb level. The relative spleen and bursa weights were unaffected. The inclusion of spray-applied bentonite clay had no effect on the toxicity of aflatoxin in this trial when compared to the non-binding kaolinite clay.