Influence of fusarium toxins on growth and carcass characteristics of turkeys.

Austria is because of its climate one of the most successful European countries for maize production, Due to the frequently occuring offrost in autumn maize is often infected with fusariums that produce toxins and have deleterious effects on corn. Possible negative effects of fusarium toxins in maize are ofgreat importance for turkey farmers and animal feed industry, since maize is one ofthe most important components of turkey diets, The level of fusarium toxin contamination is considered as an important parameter for feeding value of maize. The effect of naturally contaminated maize on growth and carcasscharacteristics can be measured reliably only in feeding trials. For this experiment maize was specially selecred from maize ears with higher levels ofmycotoxins. In this experiment, the effects ofhighly naturally fusarium toxin contaminated maize on fattening and carcass characteristics as weIl as on biochemical blood parameters were studied,