EFFECT OF CERTAIN DIETARY VITAMINS SUPPLEMENTATION ON SOME PRODUCTIVE, REPRODUCTIVE AND HATCHING PERFORMANCE OF JAPANESE QUAIL UNDER EGYPTIAN SUMMER CONDITIONS | ||||
| Zagazig Journal of Agricultural Research | ||||
| Article 12, Volume 43, Issue 5, September 2016, Page 1627-1640 PDF (246.8 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/zjar.2016.98118 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Mohamed M. El-Mekawy  ; A. A. Askar; Zenat A. Ibrahim; M. M. Soliman
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| Poult. Dept., Fac. Agric., Zagazig Univ., Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This work was conducted to study the effect of dietary supplementation of vitamins A, E, C, B6 and B12 on some productive and reproductive traits of mature Japanese quails during hot summer season under Egyptian environmental conditions. A total number of 180 Japanese quail breeders (126 females and 54 males), 8 weeks old with nearly equal body weight (215 to 250 g) were randomly divided into six treatment groups (21 females and 9 males in each group). Birds in the first experimental group received the basal diet (without supplementation) used as control, while birds in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th groups, were received the basal diet supplemented with one of the following vitamins, A (5 mg /kg diet), E (150 mg /kg diet), C (250 mg /kg diet), B6 (3 mg /kg diet) or B12 (2 mg /kg diet), respectively. Egg production, egg quality, semen characteristics as well as hatchability (%) and hatched chick performance were determined. Results indicated that the addition of vitamin C or B6 in the diets of Japanese quail layers, significantly (P ≤ 0.01) improved egg number and feed conversion ratio (FCR) comparatively with those unsupplemented treatments, while egg mass values were improved significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in layers fed diet supplemented with vitamin E, C, or B6 when compared with layers fed basal diet. The highest egg length value was obtained for hens fed diets supplemented with 150 mg vitam. E /kg diet, while the lowest value was obtained with those fed diets supplemented with 3 mg vitam. B6 /kg diet when compared with control. Birds fed diet supplemented with 150 mg vitam. E/kg diet recorded the lowest value of egg shape index comparatively with the control and other treatment groups. Japanese quail layers given B6 or B12 had significantly (P ≤ 0.01) higher hatchablility values than those unsupplemented with vitamins. Semen characteristics studied [mass motility (%), individual motility (%)and dead sperm (%)] were significantly (P ≤ 0.01) improved male Japanese quail fed diets supplemented with A, E, C and B6 in comparison with these supplemented with vitam. B12 and the control group. It could be concluded that supplementing quail breeder diet with vitamins B6, E and C, improved the productive performance, while vitam. B6 gave the higher hatchability percentage. The best semen characteristics were obtained by vitam. E supplementation. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Vitamins; productive; performance; reproductive; semen; hatchability; quail | ||||
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