GROWTH AND LAYING PERFORMANCE OF JAPANESE QUAILS (Coturnix coturnix japonica) FED GRADED LEVELS OF SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas) AND SWEET POTATO PEEL MEALS
GROWTH AND LAYING PERFORMANCE OF JAPANESE QUAILS (Coturnix coturnix japonica) FED GRADED LEVELS OF SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas) AND SWEET POTATO PEEL MEALS
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Date
2017-12
Authors
NNENNA, AGBAI KALU
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Abstract
Two feeding trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of sweet potato and sweet potato peel
meals on the growth and laying performance of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica).
One thousand Five hundred and six Japanese quails were used for the study. In experiment 1,
three hundred mixed sexes of 2 weeks old Japanese quails (mean weight 32.00g) were fed the
different diets of sweet potato meal for a period of 28 days for the grower phase and two
hundred and twenty eight female 7 weeks old Japanese quail birds ( mean weight 137.00g)
were fed for 112 days for the laying phase. The birds were assigned to four dietary treatments
each (0, 10, 20, 30%) of sweet potato meal consisting of 75 grower quails per treatment with
three replicates of 25 birds at the grower phase and 57 hens per treatment with three replicates
of 19 birds at laying phase. Water and feed were supplied ad libitum. During grower phase,
higher final body weight (141.47g) of the Japanese quails was achieved in quail birds fed diets
containing 10% sweet potato meal, this was followed by the quail birds fed 0% sweet potato
meal (141.28g) while the least final body weight (134.80 g) was obtained in the quail birds fed
30% sweet potato diet. The feed conversion ratio showed no significant (P < 0.05) differences
across the entire treatment groups for sweet potato meal. Higher carcass weight (101.52g) of
the quails was achieved in birds fed diets containing 10% sweet potato meal. Quails fed diets
containing 10% sweet potato meal had better apparent digestibility of nutrients compared to
birds fed other diets. Feed cost analysis during grower phase revealed that birds fed diets
containing 30% sweet potato meal (( 304.67) had better feed cost than birds on other diets.
The result on laying performance and egg characteristics showed significant (P < 0.05)
differences in birds fed sweet potato meal. Hen-day egg production of quails fed 10% sweet
potato meal diets (55.71) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of birds fed the other
diets. Peak egg production values of birds fed 10% sweet potato meal (83.33 days) was
statistically the same with birds fed 0% sweet potato diets (82.31days). There was no mortality
recorded during the grower and laying phase. In experiment 2, three hundred mixed sexes of 2
weeks old Japanese quails (mean weight 32.00g) were fed the different diets of sweet potato
peels meal for a period of 28 days for the grower phase and two hundred and twenty eight
female 7weeks old Japanese quail birds ( mean weight 137.00g) were fed for 112 days for the
laying phase. The birds were assigned to four dietary treatments each (0, 10, 20, 30%) of sweet
potato peel meal consisting of 75 grower quails per treatment with three replicates of 25 birds
at the grower phase and 57 hens per treatment with three replicates of 19 birds at laying phase.
Water and feed were supplied ad libitum. At grower phase, higher final body weight (141.33g)
of the Japanese quails was achieved in quail birds fed diets containing 10% sweet potato peel
meal, this was followed by the quail birds fed 0% sweet potato peels meal (141.28g) while the
least final body weight (132.32 g) was obtained in the quails fed diets containing 30% sweet
potato peel meal. Quail birds fed 10% sweet potato peel meal performed significantly (P <
0.05) better in feed conversion ratio. Quails on 0% sweet potato peel meal (control) had higher
carcass weight (98.80) compared to other dietary treatment (P < 0.05). Birds on 10% sweet
potato peel meal performed better than birds on other diets on apparent crude protein
digestibility. Feed cost analysis during grower phase revealed that birds fed 30% sweet potato
peel meal had better feed cost ( 247.08) than birds fed other diets. The result on laying
performance and egg characteristics showed significant (P < 0.05) differences in birds fed
sweet potato peel meal. Hen-day egg production of quails fed 10% sweet potato peel meal diets
(52.43) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of birds on the other diets. Peak egg
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production values of birds fed 10% sweet potato peel meal (82.31days) was statistically similar
with birds fed 0% sweet potato diets (82.31). There was no mortality recorded during the
grower and laying phase. Inclusion of sweet potato and sweet potato peel meals in the diets of
Japanese quails did not result in any detrimental effect on overall performance. Thus
substituting maize with sweet potato meal at 10% inclusion and sweet potato peel meal at 10%
inclusion in Japanese quails diet resulted in enhanced growth and egg production performance
at the least cost. At the growing phase, diets containing sweet potato meal at 10, 20 and 30%
levels of inclusion reduced cost of production by 1.97%( 0.62), 3.21% ( 1.01) and 5.35% (
1.68) respectively while diets containing 10 and 30% sweet potato peel meal reduced the cost
of production by 59.04% ( 18.55) and 66.58% ( 66.58) respectively.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN ANIMAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
Keywords
GROWTH,, LAYING PERFORMANCE,, JAPANESE QUAILS,, Coturnix coturnix japonica,, SWEET POTATO,, Ipomoea batatas,, SWEET POTATO PEEL MEALS,