Aline Guedes Veras

The objective of this study was to characterize the dynamics of food passage in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of Japanese quail. A randomized design was used with four treatments and four experimental units with one bird each, nine of which were measured in time. The ingredients used were albumin, starch, cellulose, and soybean oil. Suspensions containing barium sulfate and saline were prepared, except for soybean oil. For each bird, 2.5 mL of the suspension was administered directly to the crop. Dual-energy absorptiometry (DEXA) was used to quantify the passage of food. The birds were sedated and maintained under inhalation anesthesia during the scan. Measurements were taken at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 24 h. The variables identified were passage time, first quality, and the average time of each variable. Based on these results, the ingredients may show differences in dynamic passing on the Japanese quail GIT. The duration of the first attempt was 32 min, ranging from 21 to 44 min. The average time value of food choice was close to 10.8 h and varied according to the ingredient from 8.45-12.16 h. Among the variables, soybean oil presented values ​​that denote a fast passage in the GIT, while albumin presented values ​​that denote a slower passage. The dynamics of food passage in the GIT of Japanese quails varies according to the chemical composition of the ingredients.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of canola and coconut oils to diets of European quail (Coturnix coturnix) over performance and carcass yield. One hundred and ninety-two quail (eight-days old) were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments with six replicates of eight birds each. The treatments were arranged in a factorial 2×2 scheme with two sources of dietary oil containing two levels of canola and coconut oils (1 and 2%). For performance variables, the final weight was evaluated, and the carcass variables were feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion. A significant difference was observed between treatments for feed intake, with the inclusion of 2% canola oil providing higher intake. There was also significant effect for carcass characteristics on weight at fasting, eviscerated carcass, liver and gizzard weights, as well as liver, heart, and gizzard yields. The inclusion of vegetable oil such as canola and coconut oils in diets for European quail at the levels of 1 and 2% can be performed with no negative effect on performance from 8 to 42 days of age.