The Effect of Eimeria maxima on Broiler Pigmentation ,

Abstract

DISEASES have been reported to be detrimental to desirable pigmentation in broilers, but most of the reports have been in popular literature and based on field reports rather than on the results of controlled research. Eimeria maxima infections have been commonly associated with the loss of pigment in chicks (Anonymous, 1958). Unpublished observations at the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station indicated that floor-grown broiler chicks fed coccidiostatic drugs often lost pigment from their beak, skin, and shanks between the fourth and eighth week of age even though no mortality was experienced. Evidence of subclinical coccidial infections was found in the birds upon post-mortem examination. Numerous factors have been studied to determine their effect on pigmentation of broilers (Wilgus, 1954; Potter et al., 1956; Fritz and Wharton, 1957; Day and Williams, 1958; Harms et al., 1958; Griminger and Fisher, 1960; Waldroup et al., 1960; Dua and Day, 1964; and Smidt …