Salinomycin toxicity in turkeys

Five 7-day trials using 336, 24, 24, 40, and 40 Large White male turkeys when 7, 11, 15, 27, and 32 weeks of age, respectively, were conducted to determine the toxic effects of salinomycin. Salinomycin became more toxic as the age of the turkeys increased. When 7-week-old turkeys were fed diets containing 44 or 66 ppm salinomycin, only 1 of 84 died; when turkeys 27 or 32 weeks of age were fed those amounts, 13 of 20 died. Salinomycin at 22 ppm tended to depress rate of growth at young ages and to prevent or decrease growth and to increase mortality at older ages. Caution should be exercised to avoid salinomycin contamination of turkey diets.