Cobre e Antibiótico como Promotores de Crescimento em Rações para Frangos de Corte

Foi realizado um experimento objetivando avaliar os efeitos de promotores de crescimento sobre o desempenho e a temperatura corporal de frangos de corte, no período de 1 a 42 dias de idade. Os tratamentos consistiram de uma ração basal não suplementada (Controle), ou suplementada com 200 mg de Cu/kg de sulfato cúprico pentahidratado (Sulfato), 75 mg de Cu/kg de citrato cúprico anidro (Citrato), 20 mg/kg de virginiamicina (VM), ou a associação Citrato + VM, em um experimento em blocos casualizados com seis repetições de 40 aves, criadas sobre cama reutilizada. Não se observou efeito de tratamentos na fase inicial. Na fase final os tratamentos não afetaram o consumo de ração e o ganho de peso, enquanto a conversão alimentar foi melhor para o VM comparado ao Controle. No período total não houve efeito de tratamentos sobre peso vivo, consumo, ganho de peso e conversão alimentar. No período final e total o Sulfato resultou em menor viabilidade das aves comparado ao Citrato, VM e Citrato + VM. Não foi verificado efeito sinérgico quando se usou VM + Citrato. Os tratamentos não influenciaram a temperatura retal das aves consistentemente. O citrato cúprico não revelou ser mais eficiente que o sulfato cúprico.

Virginiamycin and caloric density effects on live performance, blood serum metabolite concentration, and carcass composition of broilers reared in thermoneutral and cycling ambient temperatures

One experiment utilizing Cobb x Cobb male broilers was conducted to evaluate virginiamycin (VM; 0, 15, 20 ppm) and diet caloric density (CD; 2,945, 3,200 AMEn/kg) effects on broiler live performance, blood serum metabolites, and carcass composition. The starter period exposed birds to recommended brooding conditions, whereas from 3 to 7 wk birds were exposed to thermoneutral (TN, 24 C) or cycling temperature (CT, 24 to 35 C) environments (E). During the 21-d starter period, VM levels and high CD increased (P < 0.05) BW gain (G) and gain:feed (G:F) improved (P < 0.05) with 20 ppm VM and high CD. During 3 to 7 wk, CT reduced (P < 0.05) most live performance and carcass variables as well as heat production (HP) and energetic efficiency whereas energy content per gram of tissue increased. The main effect of VM and CD on blood serum constituents was not significant; however, CT decreased (P < 0.05) serum Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, albumin, and total protein. Within CT, G increased (P < 0.05) with high CD and with the 15 ppm VM combination, whereas within TN, G was unaffected by CD, but increased (P < 0.05) with the 20 ppm VM and low CD combination compared with the control. High CD increased (P < 0.05) BW, G, carcass weight, dressing percentage, carcass percentage fat, carcass dry matter, carcass energy content per bird, HP, fat, and protein gain but reduced (P < 0.05) carcass percentage protein and energetic efficiency. Carcass weight, breast yield, fat, and protein gains as well as dry matter carcass energy content increased (P < 0.05) with VM compared with controls. The reduced (P < 0.05) calorie intake and HP with concomitant increase (P < 0.05) in calorie gain with 20 ppm VM increased (P < 0.05) caloric efficiency. In summary, the results suggest that VM improves bird performance by reducing HP and that reduced HP during high CT improves body temperature homeostasis.

Influence of a hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate and virginiamycin on aflatoxicosis in broiler chicks

Male broiler chicks were fed diets containing 0 or 3.5 mg aflatoxin (AF)/kg from 1 to 28 d of age. The diets were amended with either .5% hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS), 16.5 mg virginiamycin (VM)/kg of diet, or .5% HSCAS + 16.5 mg VM/kg of diet to determine the effects of these compounds during aflatoxicosis. When compared with controls (814 g), BW gains were significantly lower for broilers fed the AF (731 g) or AF+VM (716 g) diets. No differences were found between the BW gains of chicks fed diets without aflatoxin (814 g) and those of chicks fed AF+HSCAS (793 g) or AF+HSCAS+VM (803 g), indicating approximately 75% protection against decreased BW gain by HSCAS and 87% protection by the HSCAS+VM combination. Relative weights of the liver and kidney and creatine kinase activity were significantly increased and albumin, total protein, cholesterol, uric acid, and inorganic phosphorus concentrations were decreased in chicks fed the diet containing AF alone. With the exception of albumin, HSCAS was effective in restoring these values to control values. The findings of this research suggest that HSCAS and HSCAS+VM can counteract some of the toxic effects of AF in growing broiler chicks.

Effect of growth promoters on monensin toxicity in broiler chicks

1. An experiment was carried out with male broiler chicks to evaluate the combined effect of monensin (150 mg/kg) and the growth promoters (GPs) Zn bacitracin (BAC, 50 mg/kg), virginiamycin (VIR, 25 mg/kg) and avoparcin (AVO, 20 mg/kg) fed from 7 to 28 d of age on performance, utilisation of dietary nutrients, yield of defeathered eviscerated carcases (DEC) and size of various organs. The effect of the GPs in the monensin-unsupplemented diets fed up to 49 d of age on performance and carcase was also determined. 2. Monensin significantly (P < 0.05) depressed food intake, weight gain and food efficiency from 7 to 28 d of age. None of the GPs was able to counteract these effects. However, AVO slightly ameliorated them. AVO also significantly increased food intake and improved gain and food efficiency during 7 to 28, but not 28 to 49 or 7 to 49 d of age. VIR and BAC did not affect performance in either age period. 3. Monensin did not affect the utilisation of dietary dry matter, fat or energy, but it significantly decreased nitrogen utilisation. AVO improved nitrogen and fat utilisation and increased dietary AME(n) content. AME(n) was also increased by VIR. The utilisation of these nutrients was not affected by the interactions between monensin and the GPs. 4. Monensin did not affect yield of the DEC or the relative liver size at 31 d of age. It significantly increased the relative length of the small intestine (SI) and decreased its specific weight. AVO significantly increased yield at 31, but not at 53 d of age. BAC and VIR did not affect this variable. AVO and VIR, but not BAC, at both age periods reduced, at times significantly, the size, length and specific weight of the SI. 5. Our conclusions: BAC, VIR and AVO do not counteract the toxic effect of monensin. The effect of GPs in improving performance decreases and even disappears with age, while their effect in reducing the size of the SI is still evident in 49-d-old birds.

Lack of effect of dietary energy-to-protein ratio and energy concentration on the response of broiler chickens to virginiamycin

1. Two factorial experiments were carried out with male broiler chicks from 6 to 28 (experiment 1) and from 7 to 49 (experiment 2) d of age to evaluate the combined effect of virginiamycin (VIR), dietary energy concentration, and energy-to-protein (E:P) ratio on performance and the utilisation of dietary nutrients. 2. VIR had no significant effect in either experiment on food intake or weight gain, but significantly improved food efficiency up to 28 d of age (P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.05 in experiments 1 and 2, respectively). 3. VIR consistently and significantly (P less than 0.01) decreased fat excretion, improved fat relative retention and increased dietary AMEn. VIR also significantly (P less than 0.01) increased relative retention of dry matter, while it did not affect nitrogen balance. 4. Neither of the variables of performance and utilisation of dietary nutrients was affected by the interactions between VIR and either dietary E:P ratio or energy concentration. It is concluded, therefore, that the effect of VIR in increasing the utilisation of dietary energy does not depend on the above factors.

Responses of turkey poults to virginiamycin as influenced by litter condition and experimentally induced stunting syndrome

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of virginiamycin (VM, 22 mg/kg of diet) on performance of uninfected (CON) turkey poults and those infected (INO) with stunting syndrome and reared on used woodshavings (Experiment 1) or on clean or used woodshavings (Experiment 2). Virginiamycin improved BW (P less than .001) and feed efficiency (FE) (P less than .05) from 1 to 29 days of age, irrespective of type of litter or disease condition. The increase in BW induced by VM, however, was greatest when poults were kept on used litter, resulting in significant (P less than .05) VM by litter interaction. Induced stunting syndrome depressed BW (P less than .01) to 29 days of age and impaired FE from 1 to 9 days of age (P less than .05) and from 5 to 9 days of age (P less than .01) in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Virginiamycin did not prevent early adverse effects of INO on BW and FE, but facilitated notable recovery of INO poults relative to INO poults not fed VM. Virginiamycin increased specific activities of maltase and sucrase of the jejunum of CON poults in Experiments 1 and 2; in Experiment 2, this VM effect was evident irrespective of type of litter. Maltase-specific activity and sucrase were reduced by INO (P less than or equal to .05 and P less than or equal to .01 in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively) and VM did not modify this effect. The maltase and sucrase data suggest that VM improved BW and FE of CON poults, in part, by helping to maintain digestive and absorptive functions of the small intestine during the early growth period, but, in the instance of INO poults, VM was not effective in this regard.

Influence of virginiamycin on growth and efficiency of large white turkeys

Efficacy of virginiamycin (22 mg/kg) in combination with no drug, amprolium, carbarsone, halofuginone, or monensin, was studied. Male and female turkeys were raised to market age in five experiments conducted from 1983 to 1987. Body weights and feed:gain responses to virginiamycin for males and females were positive and significant (P less than .05). Virginiamycin resulted in mean 5.2 and 6.3% body weight responses and 3.3 and 2.2% feed:gain responses for males at 19 or 20 wk of age and for females at 16 or 17 wk of age, respectively. Mortality rates were low in all studies, and were not influenced by virginiamycin. In a processing study, virginiamycin in combination with halofuginone did not affect shrinkage, yield, or market grade. Feed was utilized by males and females 3.9 and 3.0%, respectively, more efficiently than expected with dietary virginiamycin, compared with results predicted by a simulation modeling technique. Profitability was considerably greater with dietary virginiamycin using actual data than with simulated feed consumption data.

The response of male chicken broilers to the dietary addition of virginiamycin

Two replicate trials, each involving 400 Arbor Acre male broiler chicks, were conducted to determine the effect of virginiamycin as a growth promoter when added to either the feed or drinking water. A control group received no growth promoter while one treatment group was provided a diet containing 11 mg of virginiamycin/kg. Another treatment group was provided drinking water containing virginiamycin in amounts calculated to ensure equivalent or one-half equivalent intake of the antibiotic. Virginiamycin supplementation had no significant (P greater than .05) effect on mortality or feed conversion ratios, regardless of the mode of administration. Body weights at 21 days of age but not at 42 days of age were significantly (P less than .05) heavier for broilers receiving virginiamycin via the drinking water. The inclusion of virginiamycin in the feed failed to improve body weights at either 21 or 42 days of age.

Influence of Virginiamycin on yield of broilers fed four levels of energy

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary Virginiamycin on processing yields of broilers fed four levels of energy. Body weights (catch, slaughter) and carcass weights (dry shell and ready-to-cook) were recorded. Shrink (holding weight loss), water uptake, shell yield, and ready-to-cook yield of the carcasses were calculated. Body weights were higher at higher energy levels and with addition of Virginiamycin to the diets. Weight loss due to shrink declined from 5.39 to 3.89% at higher dietary energy levels, but shrink was not affected by Virginiamycin. Water uptake was significantly higher for carcasses of birds fed the lowest dietary energy level (3.49%) than for carcasses of birds fed the two highest energy levels (2.89 and 3.03%); but differences among water uptake of carcasses of birds fed the three highest energy levels were not significant. Water uptake was unaffected by Virginiamycin. Increasing the dietary energy level resulted in higher ready-to-cook yields, from 61.7% yield at 2,271 kcal ME/kg to 65.4% yield at 2,953 kcal ME/kg. Yield was increased from 63.3 to 64.0% (P less than .01) by dietary Virginiamycin.

A differential response in turkey poults to various antibiotics in diets designed to be deficient or adequate in certain essential nutrients

Two experiments, each consisting of two trials, were conducted with day-old Nicholas Large White turkey poults to compare the effectiveness of four antibiotics for growth promotion and the utilization of sulfur amino acids. A corn-soybean meal basal diet that contained no supplemental methionine, choline, or inorganic sulfate was used in order to furnish nutritional stress. The diet was calculated to contain 25.4% protein, .448% methionine, .403% cystine, 1014 mg/kg choline, and 2990 kcal metabolizable energy/kg. In Experiment 1, a 2 X 4 factorial arrangement of treatments was used. This included two levels, (0% (control) and .18%), of supplemental DL-methionine and no antibiotic or bacitracin MD, flavomycin, or virginiamycin; antibiotics were fed at 50, 2, and 20 g/ton, respectively. In Experiment 2, lincomycin also was included as a treatment (at 4 g per ton) resulting in a 2 X 5 factorial arrangement of treatments. Only the addition of Virginiamycin to the control diet in Experiment 1 resulted in significantly increased body weights. Supplementation by .18% methionine increased body weights and feed efficiency. In addition, all three antibiotics increased body weights significantly when added to the .18% methionine diets. Feed efficiency values were improved by all four antibiotics at both methionine levels. In Experiment 2, increases in body weights similar to those in Experiment 1 were obtained with the addition of .18% methionine to the basal diets. Addition of lincomycin and virginiamycin improved body weights and feed efficiencies in the presence and absence of supplemental methionine.

Influence of virginiamycin on broilers fed four levels of energy

An experiment was conducted with broiler chicks to determine the influence of Virginiamycin on chicks fed diets with four levels of energy. Addition of the Virginiamycin to the diet resulted in significantly improved body weight and feed efficiency at all levels of energy. The greatest improvement was obtained at the lowest level of energy. Addition of Virginiamycin to the diet decreased the energy required to produce a unit of body weight.

Influence of virginiamycin and dietary manganese on performance, manganese utilization, and intestinal tract weight of broilers

An experiment was conducted with day-old Cobb feather-sexed chicks for 21 days to study the effect of virginiamycin and dietary manganese on tissue uptake of manganese and intestinal tract weight. The 2 X 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments included 0 or 12 ppm virginiamycin and 0 or 1000 ppm added manganese as MnSO4 X H2O. Ad libitum intake was determined with four pens of five birds fed the basal corn-soybean meal diet. To eliminate the possibility that tissue manganese concentration of virginiamycin-fed birds could be attributed to increased dietary manganese intake, chicks fed experimental diets were restricted to 90% of the previous day's intake of ad libitum-fed birds. Feed intake, average daily gain, and feed efficiency were not affected by treatments. Virginiamycin decreased (P less than .001) relative intestinal tract weight from 3.34 to 2.68 g/100 g body weight. Kidney and bone manganese increased (P less than .05) when virginiamycin was fed (14.0 vs. 15.4 ppm dry basis and 21.8 vs. 24.6 ppm ash basis, respectively), indicating that virginiamycin increased absorption of manganese.

Influence of virginiamycin on energy utilization when turkey poults were fed ad libitum or restricted

An experiment was conducted with day-old turkey poults to study the influence of virginiamycin on energy utilization. A 2 X 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used, which included ad libitum or a 25% feed restriction and 0 or 22 ppm of virginiamycin. Virginiamycin in the diet significantly improved body weight, feed efficiency, and dietary energy utilization when poults were fed ad libitum or when feed was restricted. These data indicate that virginiamycin enhances the utilization of dietary energy by turkey poults.

Virginiamycin and laying hen performance

Two experiments were conducted for five 28-day periods each. In Experiments 1 and 2, Hyline W-36 hens, 36 and 26 weeks of age, respectively, were used. Experiment 1 was designed to measure the effect of virginiamycin on hen performance and egg characteristics when supplementing a diet having low pigmentation potential. In Experiment 2, the diet contained 3% added fat with 0, 10, and 20 ppm virginiamycin. In Experiment 1, virginiamycin-supplemented hens showed increased (P less than or equal to .05) egg production, body weight, and improved feed efficiency. When egg production and feed efficiency were ranked by quartiles within the control and virginiamycin-supplemented groups, virginiamycin was shown to benefit only the poorer producing hens. In Experiment 2, added fat improved feed efficiency; however, the response to virginiamycin, as observed in Experiment 1, did not occur.

Virginiamycin and broiler performance

Two experiments were conducted with broilers to determine the effect of Virginiamycin supplementation on performance and shank pigmentation. Virginiamycin supplementation at 10 ppm resulted in significantly increased body weights in both experiments. Feed efficiency was significantly improved in Experiment 1 by the supplementation of 5 and 10 ppm Virginiamycin. In Experiment 2, 20 ppm Virginiamycin was included and resulted in no greater response than that observed at 10 ppm. Pigmentation values as measured by a reflectance colorimeter and Roche color fan favored (P less than or equal to .05) Virginiamycin supplementation in both experiments. Data indicated that when the diet was supplemented with Virginiamycin an increase in the utilization of xanthophyll resulted. Mortality was not influenced by dietary treatment.