Influence of cottonseed meal on vanadium toxicity and 48vanadium distribution in body tissues of laying hens.

Hens of two commercial White Leghorn strains were fed diets representing a complete factorial arrangement of 0, 3, or 6 ppm vanadium (V) from dicalcium phosphate and 0 or 5% cottonseed meal (CSM). Test diets were fed for 4 consecutive weeks beginning when hens were 25, 40, 62, or 76 weeks old. After each 4-week treatment period, all hens were fed a diet containing no added V or CSM. Albumen quality (Haugh units) was determined on eggs produced on Days 6 and 7 of each week of feeding the test diets. Three ppm V caused a slight decrease in Haugh units, while 6 ppm V reduced Haugh unit score (HU) by 6 to 15 units when fed to hens 29, 44, or 80 weeks old. The relative influence of V on HU of eggs from 66-week-old hens was less pronounced. The inclusion of 5% CSM in the diet counteracted most of the adverse effects of V on egg quality, irrespective of strain of hens. Egg production and egg weight were not affected by V or CSM. In a second experiment, hens fed diets containing no V + no CSM, 6 ppm V + no CSM, no V + 5% CSM, or 6 ppm V + 5% CSM were given 110 microCi of 48V by oral capsule. Greatest concentrations of 48V were found in bone, kidney, liver, and magnum. Little 48V was detected in whites, and none was found in yolks of eggs produced 2 days after 48V dose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)