Decreased egg production in commercial laying hens fed zearalenone- and deoxynivalenol-contaminated grain sorghum.

In an experiment to determine the effect of corn vs. grain sorghum on performance of laying hens, egg production decreased significantly in the grain sorghum-fed hens in each of two trials starting 24 weeks after the trials began. Necropsy of chickens fed both diets revealed buccal ulceration at the ventral aspect of the oral cavity and squamous metaplasia of the esophageal glands and submaxillary salivary glands. Lesions were much more severe in the sorghum-fed birds than in the corn-fed birds. Analysis of the grain sorghum and corn revealed the presence of mycotoxins. Zearalenone and deoxynivalenol were present in the grain sorghum, and a lower amount of deoxynivalenol and a trace of aflatoxin B1 were found in the corn. Although mycotoxin levels were low, interaction between these mycotoxins and others may have decreased egg production.