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This article was published in 1954
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INSTITUTE OF INSPECTORS OF STOCK OF N.S.W. YEAR BOOK.
Mexican Poppy Poisoning in Poultry
F. L. CLARK, B.V.Sc., Inspector of Stock, Warialda.
INTRODUCTION:
The small black seed of Mexican Poppy (Argemone Mexicana L) is a common contaminant of wheat from crops infected with this weed.
Under the feeding conditions described herein mortalities in poultry may result from the ingestion of wheat contaminated with Mexican Poppy seed.
A mortality in poultry, apparently due to Mexican Poppy, is discussed together with a confirmatory feeding experiment.
CASE HISTORY:
During July, 1952, a backyard poultry owner was visited: the owner having lost 25 fowls over a period of eighteen months. An odd fowl had died over this period until two weeks prior to the visit, when, because she was running short of wheat, the owner had boiled the wheat and mixed it with pollard. When this mash was fed 12 fowls died in two weeks.
At the time of inspection the owner had 12 fowls left. One 3-months-old pullet was obviously sick; the comb being cyanotic and the bird dopey and gasping. The owner stated that the symptoms seen in previously sick birds were dopiness and disinclination to leave the perches. The birds were easily caught, their combs were dark and when disturbed, they gasped.
A post-mortem was conducted on a three-months-old pullet which had died the previous day. There was marked ascites, subcutaneous oedema and several masses of yellow jelly and fluid three-quarter of an inch in diameter in the mesentery of the liver and other organs. The intestines showed patches of inflammation, while the feathers around the cloaca were matted with faces. indicating diarrhoea.
On examination, the wheat on which the birds had been fed was found to be contaminated very heavily with a small dark seed resembling that of Mexican Poppy (Argemone Mexicana), which is a common contaminant of wheat in the District. The seed is so small that the birds would miss a considerable amount when the wheat was broadcast, but when the wheat was boiled and mixed with pollard the fowls would receive all the contaminating seed present.
The wheat had been obtained from the owner's son, who is on a nearby property. He had been feeding similar wheat to his own fowls and also suffered losses.
When the contaminated wheat was sieved to remove the poppy seed and then fed to the fowls, losses stopped immediately and egg production rose.
A sample of the wheat was sent to V.R.S., Glenfield; the laboratory report confirming that the contaminant was seed of Argemone Mexicana, and that feeding experiments resulted in the death of the fowl with the following symptoms; cyanosis of tips of comb, depression, shivering and ataxia. Postmortem revealed extensive subcutaneous oedema, lungs congested and oedematous and a haemorrhagic duodenitis.
DISCUSSION:
Mexican Poppy is widespread in N.S.W. and apparently has been here a long time because the French Botanist, Verreaux records having collected it in George Street, Sydney in 1845. (Hurst 1942).
Seddon and Caine (1927) carried out feeding experiments at V.R.S. Glenfield. Leaves and fruit were found to be unpalatable to sheep, but green fruit and drenches of aqueous extracts of leaves and capsules produced no ill effects.
In January, 1937, illness in fowls and temporary drop in egg production were attributed to Mexican Poppy seed amongst wheat fed to the birds. Hart carried out feeding tests and produced no ill-effects when 25 gram of seed mixed with bran and pollard or 25 gram of seed soaked 18 hours and ground up were fed. (Hart 1941).
Further feeding experiments in 1938 using 25 gram of seed with wheat as a mash, produced symptoms exactly similar to those recorded in this case. (N.S.W. Department Agriculture Rec.).
The poisonous principle is said to be berberine and protopine contained in the seed (Hurst 1942).
CONCLUSIONS:
The seed of Mexican Poppy (Argemone Mexicana) causes drop in egg production, oedema, depression, ataxia, cyanosis of comb, haemorrhagic enteritis and death, if fed to fowls in a wet mash made using contaminated wheat.
Trouble can be avoided by (a) Sifting heavily contaminated wheat. (b) Feeding lightly contaminated wheat only by broadcasting — when the small Mexican Poppy seed is not picked up by the fowls.
REFERENCES:
Hurst, E. (1942) — The Poison Plants of New South Wales, 125-127.
Seddon and Caine (1927) — cited by Hurst (1942).
Hart (1941) — cited by Hurst (1942).