Effect of Reserpine on Growth and Endocrine Relationships in Large Type White Turkeys

A MEANS of minimizing carcass damage resulting from fighting and handling of growing turkeys without adversely affecting other economically important physiological traits would be of value in turkey production. Reserpine, one of the alkaloid-base tranquilizing drugs having a wide application in human medicine, has been reported by Carlson (1956) to quiet maturing turkeys and suppress fighting at levels of 0.5 and 1.0 mg./kg. of feed but proved detrimental to growth and feed efficiency. Burger et al. (1959) found a significant increase in growth of five-week-old poults fed reserpine (from mother liquor) at 1.0 mg./kg. feed. Higher dosage levels resulted in early growth depression which was partially overcome by the end of the trial. A similar early growth depression with subsequent recovery was observed in an earlier study in this laboratory (Anderson and Smyth, unpublished) with broiler type chickens. A recent report by Ringer (1959) indicates that levels of reserpine below …