Metabolisable energy partition for Japanese quails

Abstract

Knowing how energy intake is partitioned between maintenance, growth and egg production (EP) of birds makes it possible to structure models and recommend energy intakes based on differences in the BW, weight gain (WG) and EP on commercial quail farms. This research was a dose-response study to re-evaluate the energy partition for Japanese quails in the EP phase, based on the dilution technique to modify the retained energy (RE) of the birds. A total of 300 VICAMI® Japanese quail, housed in climatic chambers, were used from 16 weeks of age, with averages for BW of 185 g and EP of 78%, for 10 weeks. To modify the RE in the bird’s body, a qualitative dilution of dietary energy was used. Ten treatments (metabolisable energy levels) were distributed in completely randomised units, with six replicates of five quails per experimental unit. Metabolisable energy intake (MEI), egg mass (EM) and RE were expressed in kJ/kg0.67. The utilisation efficiency (k t ) was estimated from the relationship between RE and MEI. The metabolisable energy for maintenance was given by RE = 0. The net energy requirement for WG was obtained from the relationship between RE in the BW as a function of the BW. The utilisation efficiency for EP (k o ) was obtained from the relationship between EM and RE corrected MEI for maintenance and WG. Based on these efficiencies, the requirements for WG and EM were calculated. The energy intake by Japanese quails was partitioned according to the model: MEI = 569.8 × BW0.67 + 22 × WG + 13 × EM. The current study provides procedures and methods designed for quails as well as a simple and flexible model that can be quickly adopted by technicians and poultry companies.

Arginine requirement for egg production in Japanese quail

“…Furthermore, it is in accordance with the theory of consumption regulation by the most limiting nutritional resource proposed by Emmans (1994) and recognized by Gous (2010) , Sakomura et al. (2015) , Silva et al. (2020) .…”

“…According to the model of Silva et al. (2020) , to meet the maintenance and EO production of the quails fed with 0.361% of arginine in the diet, an intake of 179 kJ/bird perꞏd or 43 kcal/birdꞏper d would be sufficient.…”

“…A 15-d interval was established to quantify the leftovers, based on observations of behavioral patterns of Japanese quails in laying phase. A recent study by Silva et al. (2020) reported that the birds responded appreciably after experimental manipulation; therefore, a longer interval was considered between the measurements of feed leftovers.…”

An assessment of responses to egg production and liver health of Japanese quails subjected to different levels of metabolizable energy

“…Regarding EW, the increasing levels of MEn led to an increase in weight (1.5 g), possibly due to the increase in MEn daily intake being sufficient to meet the production requirements and to obtain heavier eggs. The primary factor that affects EW is BW [ 1 – 3 ]. This was observed in this study, as the birds with slight eggs exhibited a BW loss of 41 g (in the period) compared to that at the levels of 1,609 and 3,050 kcal/kg.…”

“…Advances in genetics have allowed for the segregation of the multiplication and production sectors, and this is indicative of the degree of professionalization that the quail egg industry has achieved in recent decades. The facilities were adapted for Japanese quails, and currently, sheds possessing temperature control automation, dung removal, and egg collection are present at the main commercial egg-producing locations [ 1 – 3 ].…”