Calcium and available phosphorus requirements of Japanese quails in early egg-laying stage

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to estimate the nutritional requirements of calcium ( Ca ) and available phosphorus ( aP ) for Japanese quails ( Coturnix coturnix japonica ) in the egg-laying stage (64–168 D). The experiment was an entirely randomized design, in a factorial scheme (Ca = 1.70, 2.40, 3.10, and 3.80% and aP = 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, and 0.60%), with 3 replicates and 10 quails per experimental unit. No interactions were found for quail body weight and daily feed intake ( DFI ) ( P > 0.05). However, body weight decreased linearly ( P < 0.05) as the levels of Ca increased, whereas DFI exhibited a quadratic effect ( P < 0.05) for both Ca and aP. The lowest values of DFI were estimated in 2.79 and 0.36% for Ca and aP, respectively. Egg production, egg mass, and feed conversion ratio per egg dozen presented significant interaction in which all of them had a quadratic effect ( P < 0.05), with estimations for maximum yield in feed containing 2.74, 2.71, 2.75, and 2.74% Ca and 0.40, 0.39, 0.39, and 0.40% aP. The concentration of Ca in the eggshell increased linearly as per the levels of Ca studied, having a quadratic effect for aP levels, with a maximum point of 0.44%. In relation to the bone parameters, there was a linear interaction for Ca and aP in bone density and bone resistance ( BR ) of the femur, with a quadratic effect in BD estimating 2.84 and 0.50% for Ca and aP, respectively. In BR, the estimation was 3.27% Ca, with linear increase for aP. The BR of the tibiotarso increased linearly as per the Ca levels, obtaining the same Ca concentration response in this bone. As conclusion, when considering the estimations obtained through overlapped contour plots, the best responses to the effects of Ca and aP on productive characteristics were estimated at 2.68% Ca and 0.38% aP to produce feed for egg-laying Japanese quails.

A Comparative Study of Calcium Metabolism between Quail and Domestic Rabbits

“…On another hand the formation and maintenance of medullary bone in birds and its mineralization demands intestinal source of Ca 2+ and 1,25(OH)2D3, the active vitamin D metabolite. [16,17,18], this explains why birds have a higher level of calcium than rabbits. In birds two mechanisms operate during the overnight period of shell calcification, the first one involves increasing net Ca 2+ absorption during the dark period, particularly early in that period when feed is still present in the gut, the second mechanism involves activating an effective process of bone resorption, primarily of the medullary bone.…”

Impact of dietary calcium tetraborate supplementation on the mineral content of egg and eggshell of laying quails

“…The higher the serum calcium level, the higher the calcium level in the eggshell. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with CaB4O7 (300 mg/kg) on the mineral content of egg and eggshell in layer quails [24,25].…”

A novel source of calcium: effects of calcium pidolate concentration on egg quality in aged laying quails (Coturnix coturnix Japonica)

“…Obtaining the desired eggshell quality is closely related to the calcium addition at optimum level to poultry diets (Al-Zahrani and Roberts, 2015). Adequate calcium rates depending on the breed used, the calcium/phosphorus ratio, vitamin D content, age and the productive phase (Attia et al ., 2020; Zhao et al ., 2020; Stanquevis et al ., 2021; Tufarelli et al ., 2021). Among those factors, the relationship between layers, age and the calcium content on quality egg have been extensively studied (Swiatkiewicz et al ., 2018; Kakhki et al ., 2019; Attia et al ., 2020; Wang et al ., 2021).…”

“…The minerals, which make up 5% of an animal's body, are among the most important nutrients. Among all minerals, calcium and phosphorus stand out due to their contribution to skeleton formation (80–85%) and their role in egg shells and muscle development, making them essential to animal functions (Stanquevis et al ., 2021).…”