An experiment was conducted to study the effectiveness of dietary malic acid supplementation as a growth promoter on Japanese quail performance, carcass characteristics, intestinal villi and pH, bacteria enumeration, blood parameters, digestibility coefficients and economical efficiency. A total number of 360 unsexed day-old Japanese quail chicks were equally divided into 4 groups of 6 replicates each. Two starter-grower corn-soybean meal (C-SBM) basal diets were formulated to contain 24 % CP & 2900 kcal ME /kg diet and 22 % CP & 2750 kcal ME /kg diet, respectively. Also, two layer C-SBM basal diets were formulated to contain 20 % CP & 2900 kcal ME /kg diet and 18 % CP & 2750 kcal ME /kg diet, respectively. Each of the 4 basal diets was either unsupplemented or supplemented with 0.05 % malic acid. Therefore, 4 experimental treatments were used in both startinggrowing and laying periods. Each chick group fed one of the 4 experimental diets. At 35 days of age, a slaughter test was performed to determine carcass traits, edible giblets, lymphoid organs and intestinal villi, microflora count and pH. Blood samples were taken and assayed to determine some serum blood parameters. Digestibility trials were conducted to determine nutrients digestibility for starter-grower experimental diets. At laying period, egg number, weight, mass and production as well as feed intake and conversion were recorded. At the end of the 90-day period, egg samples were taken and broken out to determine internal egg quality and analysis. From nutritional and economical point of view, it was observed that using malic acid at a level of 0.05 % in Japanese quail diets containing sub-optimal energy and protein levels helped in reducing microflara count, particularly pathogens and in turn, improving quail performance and immunity. This can alleviate the financial pressure on the farmer.
An on-farm experiment was conducted using 360 one-day old Japanese quail chicks which, individually wing-banded, weighed and randomly distributed into 4 experimental groups of similar mean body weight of 3 replicates each and aimed to study the possibility of improving the ME of SBM-based diets fed to Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) by dietary addition of a commercial enzyme preparation "Xylam 500 " at a level of 0.5 kg/ton and its effect on growth performance, some carcass traits, intestinal viscosity and incidence of pasting vents and laying performance. Two experimental starter-grower corn-soybean meal diets (C-SBM) were formulated to be iso-nitrogenous (24% CP) and containing two ME levels (2900 & 2750 kcal ME/kg diet). Also, two experimental C-SBM layer basal diets were formulated to be iso-nitrogenous (20% CP) and containing two ME levels (2900 & 2750 kcal ME/kg diet). Four dietary treatments in both starting-growing and laying periods were compared; two treatments consisted of the two basal diets without "Xylam 500 " supplementation and two treatments consisted of the two basal diets supplemented with "Xylam 500 " at a level of 0.5 kg/ton. Live growth performance, carcass characteristics, intestinal viscosity and incidence of pasting vents and laying performance were determined. Generally, supplementing Xylam 500 to RE-diet gave equal performance to the corresponding Xylam 500 -free diet. But, supplementing Xylam 500 to LE-diet significantly improved PI and GR, EP %, EN, EW, EM, FCR, carcass parameters %, liver, heart and edible giblets %. However, it significantly decreased MR %, abdominal fat %, the viscosity in different parts of intestine, pasting vents % and FI. Nutritionally, it could be concluded that supplementing "Xylam 500 " in both starter-grower and layer diets at a level of 0.5 kg/ton helped in improving quail performance, carcass traits and egg production traits.
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