• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.1272-1277
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• 2000

The present study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of feeding neem kernel meal (NKM) containing diet to growing Japanese quails, which was incorporated into a standard quail diet at 0, 50, 75 or 100 g/kg in place of soyabean meal and deoiled rice bran. Each diet was offered to 30 quail chicks housed in battery cages from day one to five weeks of age. The chicks fed NKM diets gained 123.3, 122.6 and 121.6 g mean body weight, respectively, and which were significantly (p<0.05) lower than that of 129.9 g gained by those of birds fed the control diets. The feed intake and feed conversion ratio of birds in different dietary groups were not significantly altered due to dietary variations. Mean values for retention of dietary energy, N and Ca were found to insignificantly differ (p>0.05) among the treatment groups but P retention was significantly (p<0.01) lower for quails fed 100 g/kg NKM than those in other groups. Blood biochemical constituents, carcass characteristics and organoleptic test for meat also were not found to vary significantly (p>0.05) due to dietary treatments. The histopathology of liver and kidney tissues from NKM fed quails revealed mild degenerative changes. It could be concluded that inclusion of NKM in quail diet reduced the growth besides inducing mild pathological changes in liver and kidney tissues.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.980-983
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• 2004

A 16 week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacement of soybean meal (SM) by extracted cottonseed meal (CSM) on laying performance and haemoglobin levels in practical diets for breeder Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). One hundred ninety two quails (6 weeks old) were divided randomly into eight groups. The diets were isocaloric containing 2,900 kcal/kg of ME and isonitrogenous (% 20 crude protein) as fed basis. SM was replaced by 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5, 15.0 and 17.5% of CSM, respectively. Average egg production (quail day, %; quail house, %), egg weight (g), daily feed intake (g/bird), feed efficiency ratio (g feed/g egg) data indicated no significant differences among the treatments; while, blood haemoglobin levels (% g Hb) of 7th (15.0% CSM) and 8th (17.5% CSM) group were lower than the control (0% CSM) diet (p<0.05). This experiment indicated that 17.5% CSM could replace SM (providing 44% of SM protein) in practical diets of breeder Japanese quails without any significant impairment on laying performance.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.287-296
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• 2001

The acute oral LD5O toxicity values of isazofos, pyraclofos, diazinon and methomyl were determined for Japanese quail based on OECD guideline. The $LD_{50}$ of isazofos, pyraclofos and diazinon was 16.26 mg/kg, and 7.11mg/kg body weight In female respectively. And the $LD_{50}$ of each chemical in male was 21.44, 35.64, 8.28 mg/kg body weight respectively. Diazinon was the most susceptible compounds to Japanese quail in both sexes. The $LD_{50}$ of methomyl was 21.24 mg/kg body weights in female, and 28.28 mg/kg body weight in male respectively. Diazinon, isazofos and methomyl were more toxic In the female than male. The symptoms of poisoning were similar in quails administrated with each chemicals. The clinical sign in Japanese quail were ataxia, salivation, diarrhea, ruffled feather and convulsion at dead point. There were severe hemorrhage and catarrhal inflammation from duodenum to ileum In all compounds. In Japanese quail treated with organophosphorus and carbamate compounds, brain acetylcholinesterase was inhibited by 88-96. The recovery was not observed after 5 h in sublethal dose.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.98-107
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• 2023

Objective: Current quail production is configured as an economic activity in scale. Advancements in quail nutrition have been limited to areas such as breeding and, automation of facilities and ambience. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance responses, liver and oviduct morphometry, and liver histology of Japanese laying quails subjected to different levels of nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (MEn). Methods: A completely random design was used that consisted of nine levels of MEn, six replicates, and five hens per cage with a total of 270 quails. The experimental period lasted for 10 weeks. The variables of performance were subjected to analysis of variance and then regression analysis using the broken-line model. The morphometric and histological variables were subjected to multivariate exploratory techniques. Results: The MEn levels influenced the responses to zootechnical performance. The broken-line model estimated the maximum responses for feed intake, egg production, egg weight, and egg mass as 3,040, 2,820, 1,802, and 2,960 kcal of MEn per kg of diet, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the occurrence of hepatic steatosis and increased levels of Kupffer cells were not related to MEn levels. Conclusion: The level of 2,960 kcal/kg of MEn meets performance variable requirements without compromising hepatic physiology.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.81-84
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• 1999

Chicken has been one of the most useful animals for life. They have been not only one of the most economical and adundant sources of valuable nutrients, but also the very good experimental animal to develop modern sciences. In Japan, eggs laid by the chickens have long been good sources of cash income for farmers and in many cases even for Samurais. Although nearly 50 millions of chickens were raised and they were of considerable importance in Japanese agricultre before the World War II, the industrialization or specializatin started after the War, Substantiallysince the 1960s. Among other spcies of poultry then chickens, ducks and Japanese quails are of some importane in Japan. Duck meat is often used in various cuisines at higher class restaurants and Japanese quail eggs are widely used. Hower those those species of commpared with chickens.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.385-398
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• 2022

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the influence of different dietary crude protein (CP) levels during the growth phase on reproductive characteristics and reproductive efficiency as well as the body development of adult male Japanese quail. Methods: Three hundred one-day-old male quails were distributed into five treatments with diets containing different CP levels (18%, 20%, 22%, 24%, and 26%) in a completely randomized design, with six replicates of ten birds each. The CP diets were applied only during the growth phase (1 to 35 days). At 36 days of age, the birds were transferred to 30 laying cages with three males and nine females each, and all birds received the same diet formulated to meet production-phase requirements until 96 days of age. Results: The growth rate of the birds increased linearly (p<0.01) with increasing dietary CP, but the age of maximum growth decreased (p<0.05). At growth maturity, all birds had the same body weight (p>0.05). At 35 days of age, higher weight gain was obtained (p<0.05) with diets containing 22% CP or higher. No effects on feed conversion were observed in this phase. The increase in dietary CP enhanced (p<0.01) nitrogen intake and nitrogen excretion but did not affect (p>0.05) nitrogen retention. Testis size, seminiferous tubular area, number of spermatogonia, and germinal epithelial height at 35 days of age increased linearly (p<0.05) with dietary CP, while the number of Leydig cells decreased (p<0.01). The Sertoli cell number at 60 days of age increased linearly (p<0.01) with dietary CP. Dietary CP levels did not affect cloacal gland size, foam weight, foam protein concentration, semen volume, or flock fertility at 90 days of age. Conclusion: Dietary CP concentration affected body and testicular development in male Japanese quails but did not affect reproductive efficiency.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.224-230
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• 2006

Japanese Quails were used to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with vitamin E (dl-a-tocopheryl-acetate), lycopene, and their combination on egg production, egg quality, concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamin E, A and cholesterol in serum and egg yolk. Quails (n = 120; 55 d old) were divided into four groups (n = 30/group) and fed a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with lycopene (100 mg/kg diet), vitamin E (250 mg dl-${\alpha}$-tocopheryl-acetate/kg diet) or a combination of lycopene and vitamin E (100 mg/kg lycopene plus 250 mg dl-${\alpha}$-tocopheryl-acetate/kg diet). Vitamin E and lycopene did not affect (p>0.05) body weight, feed intake or egg weight. Egg production and Haugh unit were greater (p<0.05) in each supplemental group compared with the control group (p<0.05). Serum and liver MDA levels were decreased in supplemented groups compared with the control group. Separately or as a combination, supplemental lycopene and vitamin E increased serum and egg yolk vitamin E and A but decreased cholesterol concentrations (p<0.05). In general, when a significant effect was found for a parameter, the magnitude of the responses to vitamin and lycopene supplements was greatest with the combination of the lycopene and vitamin E, rather than that observed with each supplement separately. Results of the present study indicate that supplementing with a combination of dietary lycopene and vitamin E reduced serum and yolk cholesterol concentrations and improved antioxidant status.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.376-380
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• 1999

The purpose of this experiment was to study the effect of feeding winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) oil on egg cholesterol and fatty acid of Japanese quail. Four groups of 10-week-old Japanese quails (n=10 per group) were fed a basal diet (20% CP, 2890 kcal/kg) supplemented with 5% of either animal tallow, soybean oil, corn oil or winged bean oil over an 8-week period. At the end of the experiment, 7 birds in each treatment were killed by decapitation. Blood samples and livers were collected for cholesterol analyses. There were no significant differences in final body weight, feed intake, egg production, egg and yolk weight due to the different oil treatments. Egg and plasma cholesterol levels obtained with the winged bean oil diet were higher than those obtained with the animal tallow or soybean oil diets, but were not significantly different from those obtained with com oil diet. Egg lipid, liver lipid and liver cholesterol content was lower with the winged bean oil diet than with the animal tallow diet. It may be concluded that the winged bean oil diet did not impair laying performance, but increased egg and plasma cholesterol levels compared with soybean oil or animal tallow diets. Winged bean oil diet produced eggs with a higher oleic content and lower linoleic content compared with the soybean or com oil diet.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.255-257
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• 2002

In birds, the photoperiodic seasonal breeding involves encephalic photoreception at the initial step of triggering the well-known endocrinal cascade. Especially in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnixjaponica), the reproductive neuroendocrine function responds to a single long day, and hypothalamic regions are known to be important for the reproductive response. However, little is known about where and how the light and time signals are integrated to detect daylength information and transduced to the endocrinal responses. To gain insights into this issue, we are interested in the c-Fos expression in the hypothalamus of the Japanese quail. Meddle and Follett (1997) previously identified two hypothalamic regions where c-Fos-like immunoreactivities were induced in response to a long day by using an antibody to carboxyl terminal region of human c-Fos (Lys$^{347}$ -Leu$^{367}$ ). In the present study, we used a different anti-c-Fos antibody recognizing a region from Lys$^{128}$ to Ala$^{152}$ of human c-Fos, and found in long-day- stimulated quails many c-Fos-like immunoreactive nuclei localizing within two regions, nucleus anterior medialis hypothalami and nucleus periventricularis hypothalami, which are distinct from those identified in the previous study. Then, we focused on the difference in the cross-reactivities of the antibodies used, and determined the whole coding sequence of quail c-Fos to compare the antigenic sequences of the two antibodies with the amino acid sequence of quail c-Fos. We found that the antibody we used would recognize quail c-Fos more specifically than that used in the previous study.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.198-202
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• 2006

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of phytase, organic acids and their interaction on body weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, carcass yield and tibia ash. A total of 680 three-day old Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were assigned to 20 battery brooders, 34 chicks in each. The experimental period lasted 35 days. The treatment groups employed were: 1) a positive control which included 3.5 g available phosphorus (AP)/kg diet and 10 g Ca/kg diet; 2) a negative control which included 2 g AP/kg diet and 8 g Ca/kg diet, 3) negative control diet supplemented with either 300 FTU phytase/kg diet (phytase) or 4) 2.5 g organic acid (lactic acid+formic acid)/kg diet (organic acid); or 5) 300 FTU phytase/kg diet+2.5 g organic acid/kg diet (phytase+organic acid). All birds were fed with the positive control diet for a week and then transferred to the dietary treatments. At the end of the study, there were no differences (p>0.005) among the groups in body weight, weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield. Tibia ash, however, was reduced (p<0.001) for quails fed the negative control diet containing a low-level of AP compared to the positive control diet containing adequate AP. The addition of phytase, organic acid or phytase+organic acid to the diets containing the low-level of AP improved (p<0.001) tibia ash. On the other hand, an extra synergistic effect of phytase and organic acid on tibia ash was not determined. This study demonstrated that it may be possible to reduce supplemental level of inorganic P with phytase and/or organic acid supplementation for quail diets without adverse effect on performance and tibia ash.