EFFECTS OF ERGOTAMINE TARTRATE ON GROWING CHICKENS

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Abstract
The nutritional and toxicological effects of feeding ergotamine tartrate over the range of 0 to ca. 800 ppm in the diet to chickens were evaluated. In 7- to 10-day feeding trials with broiler and Leghorn chicks, 30–40 ppm of ergotamine tartrate in the diet did not alter feed consumption or weight gains. Pure alkaloid (at ca. 800 ppm) had only a slight effect on the feed:gain ratio, whereas 4% wheat ergot decreased the feed utilization efficiency twofold. Gross pathological effects in brain, liver, and muscle tissues were not observed, even at the highest (ca. 800 ppm) levels, although toe necrosis occurred at about 250 ppm. Hearts were enlarged in birds at or above 250 ppm, likely due to back pressure arising from vasoconstriction. In a 51-day trial with broilers, similar performance and pathological effects similar to those noted in the short-term studies were observed. Reduced weight gains were apparent only for the first 2–3 wk; thereafter, chicks maintained nearly constant average weights relative to control. Ergotamine tartrate did not accumulate in tissues and only when the highest levels were fed could trace amounts (< 10 ppb) be detected. About 5% of the alkaloid fed was excreted unchanged with an additional 15–20% detected as a complex mixture of 16 possible metabolites. Key words: Chickens, mycotoxins, ergot, ergotamine tartrate