Dietary Sodium Bicarbonate, Monensin, or Coccidial Innoculation and Productive Performance of Market Turkeys on Built-Up Litter

Abstract

Nicholas Large White male turkey poults, 1536 at placement and 1280 at 3 wk, were used in a pen trial on built-up litter during summer 1994 in Maryland to evaluate dietary sodium bicarbonate (SBC; 0 or 0.25%), monensin (MON; 0 or 99 ppm), or coccidial inoculation (COC; 0 or 2 Eimeria species), singly and in various combinations. Per treatment, there were eight replicate pens (5’×15’) of 24 poults each at placement and 20 poults each retained at 3 wk. All feeds had bacitracin MD at 55 ppm.Significant COC×SBC×MON interactions were found at 3 wk, and some two-variable interactions (COC×SBC, COC×MON, or SBC×MON) were observed at each age. Coccidial-inoculated tom turkeys fed dietary SBC and MON had significantly improved 3-wk weight (+0.122 lb) and mortality (-5.36% actual) compared to inoculated but unsupplemented birds. At 3 wk, inoculated turkeys without SBC or MON had 5.95% mortality, compared to 4.17% with SBC, 3.57% with MON, and 0.59% with SBC and MON (highest and lowest significantly different).Poults inoculated with coccidia at 2 wk of age via drinking water had significantly poorer performance in all parameters measured at 3, 6, and 18 wk of age than uninoculated birds, validating the coccidial stressor model. Dietary MON significantly enhanced most or all performance parameters at each age. Dietary SBC significantly improved 3-wk and 6-wk body weights and feed conversions, and 18-wk mortality (P<.054; 8.64 vs. 6.07%), compared to diets with no SBC.