Aflatoxin effects in white Leghorn chickens selected for response to sheep erythrocyte antigen. 1. Body weight, feed conversion, and temperature responses.

Chickens from lines selectively bred for high and low antibody response to sheep red blood cell antigen and reciprocal crosses between them were fed diets containing 0, 1, 2, 3, and 6 micrograms of total aflatoxin/g diet from 2 to 42 days of age. Low-line birds, although larger, did not differ from the high-line birds in feed consumption, feed conversion, surface, or cloacal temperatures. Differences between crosses and parental lines varied according to the particular trait. Responses to dietary aflatoxin were similar regardless of population. Aflatoxin depressed body weight, feed consumption, and feed conversion at 14 days and subsequent ages with the effect on body weight and feed consumption occurring at lower levels than that noted for feed conversion. Although aflatoxin did not alter cloacal temperatures, there were progressive decreases in surface temperatures at 2 micrograms/g and higher.