Today, most turkey producers include one anticoccidial product in the feed during the complete grow-out (a 'full' program). In general, inclusion starts from the first day of life and continues until the age of 10-12 weeks. For these full programs, ionophores, known for their slow induction of resistance, are most frequently used.
The majority of turkey producers will use monensin in winter and lasalocid in summer. However, due to increased outbreaks of coccidiosis or necrotic enteritis, shuttle programs with synthetic products are gaining popularity. Most commonly, synthetic products are included in the diet for the first 5-6 weeks of age (for instance in the brooding period when brooding and moving is applied). This is then followed by the inclusion of an ionophore in the grower stages, most commonly at the lowest registered doses to avoid the risk of toxicity by introduction of these products in older turkeys. In farms with very high infection pressure, a full synthetic program (with e.g. Coxiril® or Stenorol®) is applied.
The addition of Monimax® to the list of anticoccidials for turkeys is game changing, as nicarbazin has not been used in European turkey diets before. The combination of nicarbazin and monensin in Monimax® results in a synergistic anticoccidial activity compared to each individual component, allowing monensin and nicarbazin to be used at lower dosages. Monimax® will guarantee robust coccidiosis control in the more challenging conditions that producers are facing today.
Since most producers have a history of monensin use, it is advised to start with a full Monimax® program until 10-16 weeks. Another option is to use Monimax® in a shuttle program with Coxidin®. For this program, the highest registered dose (50/50 ppm) is recommended and, when brooding and moving is applied, Monimax® should be included until at least two weeks after moving the turkeys to the fattening farm. In this way, the brooding and fattening farms will benefit from the efficacy of the product and the coccidiosis pressure will be reduced in both.
In general, stronger coccidiosis control is needed in periods of high challenge. For Europe, this will be during the winter period but in other regions this can be the summer season. Using Monimax® in a full or shuttle program (with Coxidin®) ensures strong coccidiosis control. During a low coccidiosis challenge period, which would typically coincide with European summertime, a synthetic break with Stenorol® or Coxiril® (alone or in combination with ionophores) is advised.
For the registration of Monimax®, a thorough evalulation was performed on its efficacy and safety for the target species. No side effects have been observed on growth or feed intake, even if double doses were fed. The use of monensin and certain antibiotic drugs such as tiamulin is contraindicated. Since the interaction of monensin and tiamulin is dose-dependent, the lower feed concentration of monensin in Monimax® will result in reduced severity of interactions.
The strong anticoccidial effect in combination with the registration for use in the target species makes Monimax® the product of choice for coccidiosis control in turkeys.
Using coccidiosis pressure as a guideline for Monimax® use:
