Abstract: Comparative effects of ionophore anticoccidials with or without the addition of a QY phytogenic on performance and coccidia lesion scores in broilers challenged with contemporary coccidia strains.
The US poultry industry’s recent shift from marketing poultry products under “No Antibiotics Ever” (NAE) claims to “No Antibiotics Important to Human Medicine” (NAIHM) claims has driven a return to ionophores as the backbone of coccidia control.
This resurgence coincides with both increasing acceptance and continued field performance of Magni-Phi® nutritional specialty product, a proprietary blend of Quillaja and Yucca saponins (QY).
This study compared the impact on broiler performance and acquired coccidia immunity when broilers were fed ionophores with or without QY in a strict challenge of coccidia strains contemporary to the southeastern United States.
The study employed completely randomized floor pens, 8 treatments with 8 replicates each, and dividers between pens to limit cross contamination of pathogens. T1 and T2 represented nonmedicated/non-challenged (NMNC) and nonmedicated/challenged (NMC) controls.
Three ionophores salinomycin (SAL) at 50 g/ton; lasalocid (LAS) at 68 g/ton; and narasin (NAR) at 72 g/ton were included alone in T3, T5 and T7, respectively, and combined with 250 g/ton of QY in T4, T6 and T8 respectively.
Birds and feed were weighed and oocyst per gram of feces was measured weekly. Coccidia lesion scoring was performed on day 27. Statistical analysis employed the General Linear Models procedure with P <0.05 to determine least significant differences.
Compared to SAL and NAR, LAS had the lowest corrected FCR used alone or with QY, a significant difference alone but not with QY. The addition of QY to LAS resulted in a six-point lower FCR, though the difference was not significant.
When used alone, all ionophores statistically reduced lesion score (LS) compared to the NMC (19.3% to 48.7% reduction).
Their results were further improved by addition of QY (10.0% to 48.7% reduction), statistically significant differences in the SAL and NAR treatments. LAS was the only ionophore to statistically lower OPG compared to NMC at d28 when used alone.
All three showed statistically lower OPG when combined with QY. Although ionophores still serve as the main tool for coccidia control, the benefit from feeding a phytogenic with an ionophore was obvious in this trial where contemporary strains of coccidia were used.
This study was conducted by Luis B. Gomez, Chad Malinak, Blair Telg, Sandra Bonaspetti, Vasil Stanev, Ana Villegas, Ashley Halowell, Phibro Animal Health Corporation; and Brett Lumpkins, Southern Poultry Research and Feed, Athens, Georgia. It was presented at the 2025 International Poultry Scientific Forum.
For more information about the product used in the study, click here.
