The response of Bobwhite quail chicks to dietary ammonium and an antibiotic-vitamin supplement when fed B1 aflatoxin.

Dietary ammonium phosphate and a water soluble antibiotic-vitamin supplement were tested as possible means of preventing or minimizing the effects of aflatoxin in the diet of Bobwhite quail chicks. Aflatoxin (B1) was added to the diet at levels of 0, 0.4 and .8 ppm in Experiment 1 and 0, .8 and 1.2 ppm in Experiment 2. In addition, ammonium phosphate was included in the diet at levels of 0 or 1.46% and an antibiotic-vitamin supplement was added to the drinking water at 0 or 600 mg/liter. All treatments were given from 1 to 32 days of age in Experiment 1 and 1 to 28 days of age in Experiment 2. The addition of aflatoxin to the diet resulted in decreased body weight, feed consumption and percent tibia ash, increased mortality and increased feed required per unit of body weight. The addition of ammonia to the diet in the form of monoammonium phosphate did not alleviate the effects of aflatoxin. Water supplementation with an antibiotic-vitamin mixture improved weight and feed efficiency and decreased mortality of chicks receiving aflatoxin.