Fumonisin depressed growth rates of broiler chicks; the greatest depression occurred at week 2. Dark and sticky excreta from broilers fed Fusarium-infected corn has been reported previously; a depression in diet dry matter digestibility was associated with this phenomena.
A decrease in dry matter digestibility may have contributed to the depression in weight gain observed in this study. Depressed weight gain and feed intake have also been demonstrated in rats fed diets containing Fusarium moniliforme culture material that supplied 117 mg fumonisin B1/kg diet.