Vitamins E and C Supplementation in Japanese Quail: Effects on Growth Performance and Biochemical and Haematological Parameters

Abstract

The effects of vitamins E and C supplementation on growth performance and biochemical and haematological parameters of Japanese quail were studied. A total of 360 one-day-old Japanese female quails were randomly allocated to nine dietary treatment groups (10 birds per replicate and 4 replicates per treatment), including a control (basal diet) and the basal diet supplemented with: 250 or 500 mg/kg of vitamin C, 250 or 500 mg/kg of vitamin E, 250 mg/kg of both vitamins E and C, 250 and 500 mg/kg of vitamins E and C, 500 and 250 mg/kg of vitamins E and C, and 500 mg/kg of both vitamins E and C. Vitamin supplementation improved productive parameters and raised the blood plasma levels of protein, thyroid-stimulating hormone, calcium and phosphorus, while decreased those of glucose, uric acid, creatinine and triglycerides, as well as lowered the activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase. Leukocyte count as well as the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio decreased and red blood cell count increased in the supplemented groups. The results obtained support that the simultaneous supplementation with vitamins E and C has greater positive effects on growth performance, metabolism indicators and haematological parameters than their supplementation separately, which in turn shows improvements over the absence of supplementation.