A total of 168 broiler chickens (6 to 9 weeks of age) and 192 turkey poults (3-1/2 to 6-1/2 weeks of age) were fed purified zearalenone at levels of 0 (control), 10, 25 (turkeys only), 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg diet for a 3 week period to evaluate its toxicity. Dietary zearalenone had no effect on body weight gain, feed consumption, weights of liver, heart, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius, serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, total protein and cholesterol, hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, and differential leukocyte count in both chickens and turkeys. Male broiler comb and testes weights were reduced by high levels of zearalenone. Female comb weight, broiler oviduct weight, and turkey testes and ovaries were unaffected by zearalenone. Histopathological examination of tissues revealed no change due to zearalenone. Male turkeys fed 400 and 800 mg/kg zearalenone had increased development of dewlaps and caruncles and exhibited considerable strutting behavior. Muscle and fat tissue from broilers fed 800 mg/kg zearalenone had no detectable estrogenic activity as measured by mouse uterine bioassay. These studies indicate that the effects of dietary zearalenone on finishing broilers and young growing turkey poults are minimal.

Variable quantities of zearalenone (0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, or 800 mg/kg diet) were incorporated into a practical laying hen diet and fed to 30-week-old White Leghorn females in egg production. During the 3 week pretest and 8 week experimental periods hens were inseminated weekly with .05 ml of pooled semen from males fed normal diets. Zearalenone was without effect on egg production, egg size, feed consumption, change in body weight, fertility, hatchability of fertile eggs, growth of progeny to 3 weeks of age, comb, weight, oviduct weight, heart weight, liver weight, spleen weight, egg shell thickness, Haugh units, blood hematology, serum calcium, serum inorganic phosphorus, and serum alkaline phosphatase. Zearalenone above 50 mg/kg of diet caused reduced serum cholesterol. In a reciprocal study, adult male New Hampshire chickens were fed diets containing 0, 100, or 800 mg/kg zearalenone for an 8 week period. Semen was collected and inseminated into White Leghorn females fed normal diets. Zearalenone was without effect on fertility or hatch of fertile eggs resulting from matings of these males. Zearalenone resulted in reduced serum inorganic phosphorus, serum cholesterol, and serum alkaline phosphatase in males. Histological examination of a number of tissues in both males and females revealed no changes due to zearalenone feeding. It is concluded that zearalenone up to 800 mg/kg of diet is without effect on reproductive performance of mature chickens.

Dosages of 95% ethanol (0, .5, or 1 ml) with variable quantities of water were administered to mixed sex chicks (263 g initial weight) on each of 7 consecutive days. The 1 ml dosage of ethanol significantly reduced body weight gains and feed consumption and increased liver weight per 100 g of body weight. Gross crop lesions (accumulation of exudates and hemorrhage) were observed for both the .5 and 1 ml dosage level of ethanol. For birds given the .5 ml ethanol dosage, dilution with water tended to reduce the severity of crop lesions but not for birds given 1 ml ethanol. All levels of ethanol produced mild ataxia within 5 to 10 min of dosage. Mild or moderate hepatocellular fatty change was present in livers from 5 to 6 birds given 1 ml ethanol. Crop exudates were composed of necrotic cells, fibrin and bacteria. Crop walls of birds given 1 ml of undiluted ethanol were ulcerated and inflamed. Areas within the crop wall were hemorrhagic, edematous, and infiltrated by heterophils and mononuclear cells.