Dried Cassava Residue in Laying Quail Feeding

Abstract

This study evaluated the performance, egg quality, relative weight of the gastrointestinal organs, and the intestinal morphometry of laying quails fed diets containing levels of dried cassava residue (DCR). A total of 120 150-day-old Japanese quails were distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments (0.0; 2.5; 5.0; 7.5; and 10.0% of DCR), four replicates, and six birds per experimental unit. The dietary inclusion of DCR did not affect (p>0.05) performance, internal egg quality, yolk color, and the values of villus height, crypt depth, and villus height/crypt depth ratio for the segments of the small intestine. However, a linear increase (p<0.05) was found for eggshell thickness, relative weight of the gizzard, and small intestine with increased dietary levels of the residue. For the relative weight of the pancreas, a quadratic effect (p<0.05) was observed, with the lower relative weight estimated at 4.04% DCR inclusion. Comparing to the control group (0% of DRC inclusion) the quails fed 5% of DRC showed a lower relative weight of the pancreas. The inclusion of up to 10% of dried cassava residue in laying quail's diets does not interfere with the performance. Among the organs of gastrointestinal tract, the inclusion of dried cassava residue increased the relative weight of gizzard and small intestine. In addition, it improves eggshell quality by increasing eggshell thickness.

Sorghum, millet and cassava as alternative dietary energy sources for sustainable quail production – A review

“…Based on these observations, it is apparent that cassava meal could be used to completely replace maize in diets of quails, however, the meal is more potent in enhancing the performance indices of quails at 75% dietary replacement level. The reports of Almeida et al (2020) also showed that a 10% dietary inclusion of the dried cassava residue did not impair the growth performance of laying quails. At a 60% replacement level, dietary sorghum resulted in increased final body weight and feed intake in Japanese quails, however, the values recorded were comparable to the quails fed with the control diet (Khaleel et al, 2021).…”

“…There is a dearth of literature on the effect of energy sources on gut microbiota in quails. However, the study of Almeida et al (2020) revealed that the villi height, crypt depth and villi height/ crypt depth ratio of quails fed with varying dietary levels (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10%) of dried cassava residue did not differ from those that were fed with the control diet, suggesting that the different dietary levels of the dried cassava residue did not compromise the integrity of the intestinal epithelium in the birds. Nonetheless, future research should investigate the effect of alternative energy sources on gut microbiota of quail and other poultry species.…”

“…The complete replacement of maize with millet in quail and broiler diets enhanced growth and the health status of birds (Masenya et al, 2021). Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is another alternative energy source for quail birds, and it belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, indigenous to South America but has become an important part of the diet of many Africans (Almeida et al, 2020). Cassava is a wooden shrub grown on a wide scale in several sub-Saharan African countries and supplies 13 times more energy yield per hectare compared to maize.…”

“…Sorghum and millet produce grains that are high in nutrients and can tolerate drought conditions (Hossain et al, 2022). Some authors have reported desirable results when sorghum, millet and cassava products were incorporated in diets of other poultry species (Odo and Nnadi, 2013;Almeida et al, 2020). Unfortunately, their feed value is largely unknown for the quail.…”

A way forward for the South African quail sector as a potential contributor to food and nutrition security following the aftermath of COVID-19: a review

“…The plant originates from South America and was introduced to Africa in the sixteenth century to which it outcompeted some of the local crops as a staple crop in Africa [ 85 ]. Several studies have reported that 10–50% inclusion of dried cassava meal in place of maize in layer or broiler quail diets do not compromise the productive performance of the birds [ 84 , 86 ]. Africa is the largest producer of cassava [ 87 , 88 ], but this crop has not been adopted as a major feed ingredient in poultry diets because of the presence of anti-nutritional factors such as hydrocyanic acids [ 89 ].…”