Anticoccidial efficacy of halofuginone in turkeys reared to market weight.

Floor-pen studies were conducted in three geographic locations to study the efficacy of halofuginone (3.0 ppm in feed) against important species of coccidia in turkeys. Severe coccidiosis exposure was obtained in studies in Georgia and Colorado and mild coccidiosis in Wisconsin. Coccidiosis caused by contamination of the feed with oocysts of Eimeria adenoeides, E. meleagrimitis, and E. gallopavonis was almost completely controlled by halofuginone at 3 ppm, even though intestinal lesion scores and weight loss were high in two studies. Halofuginone was also highly effective in preventing buildup of infection in pens contaminated by indirect means (movement by caretakers through the pens, etc.). Weight gains and feed conversion were best in poults receiving halofuginone, whether directly or indirectly exposed. There was no evidence that halofuginone caused any untoward reactions in the poults, even though the drug was fed until turkeys reached market weight.