EFFECT OF BAMBERMYCINS (FLAVOMYCIN) IN DIETS FOR GROWING TURKEYS

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the response of turkeys to graded levels of bambermycins++ in wheat-based diets. In one, 960 Medium White poults were fed 0,2,3, or 4 mg bambermycins per kg from day-old to 12 wk of age. In the other, 264 male and 408 female Large White poults were fed 0,2,5, or 10 mg bambermycins per kg from day-old to 15 (females) or 18 (males) wk of age. Response of Medium White poults increased with age, with significantly greater weight gain from 8 to 12 wk of age as well as final weights when the diet was supplemented with bambermycins. Large White poults responded with highly significant increases in gains from 0 to 4 and 4 to 8 wk of age, and a highly significant linear response to bambermycins in final weights. Although feed efficiency of Large White poults from 0 to 4 wk of age increased with bambermycins, overall efficiency in both trials decreased when the diets were supplemented. The earlier and greater response of Large White poults in comparison with birds of a Medium White strain may be related to the differing growth characteristics of those strains. The difference may also be related to the re-use of litter in the former trial. However, the effect of neither strain nor litter was determined within the same experiment.