Impacts of Continuous and Intermittent Use of Bovine Colostrum on Laying Japanese Quails: Egg Performance and Traits, Blood Biochemical and Antioxidant Status

Abstract

The Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) is farmed for its eggs and meat across the globe. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of the permanent or intermittent use of different levels of BC (bovine colostrum) on the egg performance and traits, carcass characteristics, blood biochemical and antioxidant status of laying Japanese quails. In this study, 200 laying quails were used for a duration of six weeks (week 24 to 30) to measure the selected parameters. Treatments included: (1) control (without BC); (2) 2% continuous BC; (3) 4% BC permanently; and (4) and (5) 2% and 4% BC intermittently (every other week), respectively. According to the results, performance, egg quality, carcass traits, biochemical indices and antioxidant status of BC-fed (continuous and intermittent mode) quails were improved compared to the control-diet-fed birds (p < 0.01). Per our observations, quails fed daily with 4% BC had the highest performance, best egg and carcass quality traits, best blood composition and best antioxidant status of serum, although the same parameters were also improved in birds fed intermittently with 4% BC. The final conclusion is that, although quails fed daily with 4% BC showed the best performance, intermittent feeding exerted comparable effects. Therefore, the intermittent-feeding approach could benefit the birds when colostrum preparation is limited due to the high cost of the related process. This approach could improve the economics of poultry breeding while reducing environmental problems, such as antibiotic resistance.

Antioxidant Activity of Different Tissues from Rabbits Fed Dietary Bovine Colostrum Supplementation

“…Mokhtarzadeh et al [31] found a significant increase (p < 0.01) in SOD serum concentrations in Japanese quails supplemented with BC (2% and 4%) for six weeks.…”

A Comparison of the Effects of Raw and Processed Amaranth Grain on Laying Hens’ Performance, Egg Physicochemical Properties, Blood Biochemistry and Egg Fatty Acids

“…In order to measure the triglyceride and cholesterol levels of blood samples, first the samples were separated in Pars azmoon commercial diagnostic kits, and then they were measured by colorimetric and photometric enzymatic methods, as suggested by Baghban-Kanani et al [ 37 ], Nobakht et al [ 38 ] and Feshanghchi et al [ 39 ]. Glucose was measured using a hexokinase enzyme method according to the proposed methods by Kunst [ 40 ], Hosseintabar et al [ 41 ], Li et al [ 42 ] and Mokhtarzadeh [ 43 ].…”

The Effect of Using Bovine Colostrum and Probiotics on Performance, Egg Traits, Blood Biochemical and Antioxidant Status of Laying Japanese Quails

“…In previous studies, the positive effects of continuous and intermittent use of cow’s colostrum and determining the consumption of the minimum level of cow’s colostrum in the feeding of laying Japanese quails have been obtained [ 38 ], but so far, no research has been conducted on the evaluation of the effects of cow’s colostrum (a natural additive) and probiotics (an artificial additive) in laying Japanese quails. Therefore, the aim of this research is to evaluate the effects of different levels of cow’s colostrum, with and without probiotics, on performance, egg quality, carcass traits, blood parameters, and antioxidant status in Japanese quails.…”