Funky Chicken Coop Tour - Austin, Texas - March 30, 2013

Intoxication might sound entertaining to some, but in the middle of that word is "toxic". Toxic means something is poisonous, and capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means. Mycotoxins are metabolic byproducts of mold that occur naturally in grains and can develop in cereals/animal feeds. Some animal feeds are already contaminated with low levels of mycotoxins by the time they are packaged, with corn, wheat middlings and soy as common grain substrates. Since mycotoxic intoxication and its related illnesses causes permanent damage, it is a condition you want to avoid, and a risk you can reduce with proper management of your feed and coops.

Almost all mycotoxins cause permanent damage to cells. They permanently degrade tissues, organs, linings, digestive tracts, reproductive tracts, they damage any cell they can reach. And they are invisible. Mycotoxins act on different organs,and more than several toxins can arise and coexist in any one situation. With more than 300 identified, and more than one organ or system involved, it can be difficult to pinpoint problems before serious damage has occurred. Poultry can suffer "mild" damage and not die, but health and performance is affected for the rest of their life, with decreased resistance to future illness, lower egg production, and unthrifty hatches.

Deadly intoxication, or mycotoxicosis, may present itself in many ways, since any cell of the body can be affected. It can be seen as individual symptoms or combinations of symptoms such as abnormal feathering, weight loss, depressed activity, no response to antibiotics, pale comb, coccidiosis, low appetite, even sudden death. Certain toxins, like aflotoxins, are passed on to the egg white and the yolk, leading to lower birth weights and compromised immune systems in the chicks. Because mycotoxins are so damaging to the health of your poultry, it is most important to accept that they exist, and to take the proper measures as coop, feed, and weather conditions demand.

Mycotoxins need only 50% humidity and 68F to proliferate in feed. Some mycotoxins activate in freezing weather, requiring just a shift in temperature to thrive. More important to know is that only a small amount of mold is needed to produce deadly mycotoxins. A small patch of wetness in the feed, a small spot of mold in a large container of feed can produce enough secondary metabolites, mycotoxins, to contaminate the whole batch. And mycotoxins persist after the mold disappears, invisible destroyers. Just because a moldy or wet clump of feed is removed, does not mean the mycotoxic risk has been removed from the remaining feed. Mycotoxic risks for chicken feed arise anywhere feed is stored, served, or accumulated from spills. Feeding habits that might not be risky when the air is dry can become sudden death traps when the weather changes or the feed gets wet.

Best practices focus on dry feed, clean feeders, and no leftover spills.

Store feed in a cool dry place. Keep the freshest feed on hand by buying smaller amounts more frequently. Use care when serving any feed that has been infested with bugs. While bugs might have an acceptable nutritional conversion rate, comparing bug nutrients to the feed they consume, they produce an increased moisture content in the bag and can stimulate the development of mycotoxins in the bag, even in dry weather conditions.

Empty and clean feeders thoroughly of old feed on a regular basis. Accumulated feed in the feeders absorbs moisture from humid air, from drools and water spills, and stimulates mold growth and the production of mycotoxins. Feed only what they can consume in that feeding. "Timesaving" by putting out too much feed, especially in high humidity, is putting your poultry at risk, with humidity encouraging mold growth and the production of mycotoxins that will permanently damage your chickens. The leftovers age with air exposure, the flavor fading (read - chickens won't eat it), the nutritional content degrades, and the leftovers are at increased risk for moisture and then mold and mycotoxic contamination. Throw out wet feed, damp feed, feed left in dishes after a rain, fines puffed up from humidity - throw it out, or plan on throwing out the next inexplicably dead chicken.

Feed particles spilled and not composted into the soils can also mold and produce mycotoxins. If the feed in the soil does not blend and decompose quickly, it remains a risk for growing mold the next time water is spilled or rain reaches that patch of soil. Do not overfeed, remove all feed spills, and regularly turn or remove dirt from coop floors where spilled feed may have accumulated. It takes just one day of wet soil and humid air to create a toxic environment for your chickens, the mycotoxins invisibly arising from your dirt coop floor.

If you have a wooden coop floor, be sure to keep it clean to the wood, letting no fines or spills cake into the crevices of the wood. Painted wood not only reduces organic contamination in wood crevices, it also reduces those nocturnal parasites that also like to hide in the wood. A small patch of feed crumbles smashed flat and dried onto a wood floor can accumulate over time, perhaps causing no problems for a long time, as long as it stays dry. But it can turn into a mold patch producing lethal mycotoxins when the humidity rises.

Wood shavings are curly delights for harboring wet mash that dries seemingly harmlessly on the thin slice of wood. When feed spills in pine shavings it disappears from sight, from the chickens and from you. Its color and the color as it ages is similar to pine. The pine curl gets smashed flat, trapping spilled feed inside the curl, and just waiting for a little moisture or humidity to fester mold growth and spur the development of mycotoxins. You think your coop is clean, cause the pine shavings look pale and clean, when really they are hiding small feed particles, and whenever the pine shavings get wet or humid they can trigger illnesses in your chickens. If you deep litter with pine shavings, you likely have layers of flattened wood chips and feed at the bottom just waiting for damp conditions. If you don't remove all the wood chips when you clean the coop, the invisible mycotoxins win again.

If you don't know why your chickens are sick, clean the coop! Don't assess if it "looks" dirty or if you can "see" anything. Toxins are invisible. Just clean it. Change out the feed, you can even change the type of feed. I switch to whole grains if wet weather persists. Whole grains can also develop mycotoxins, but they are easier to manage and less absorbent when relative humidity rises. You can switch back to pellets or mash when the weather is dry. Keep the coop floor dry, keep the feed dry, keep the feeders dry. Keep the waterer away from the feeder, to eliminate feed getting wet from water spills or splashes or departing drools.

It is a difficult position to be the caretaker of an animal that has suffered serious organ and tissue damage from mycotoxins. We have compassionate instincts to "save" animals. But if there are symptoms of multiple organ damage, we are likely prolonging suffering. We can end suffering compassionately, or keep them comfortable while nature takes its course. Knowing that mycotoxicosis will reduce egg production, decrease resistance to future illness, pass weakness and even toxins on to the offspring, it is the responsible poultryman who dispatches the ailing ones with decisiveness. The time and attention spent prolonging the suffering of a permanently damaged chicken is better spent attending closer to the health, food, and living conditions of the rest of the flock.

The next time humid weather brings mysterious symptoms or multiple nontreatable symptoms in your birds, the best way to show some love is to change out their feed and clean the coop, and focus your efforts on keeping the healthy ones healthy.

Happy Healthy Chickening!

-BluebonnetEggs

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