PERFORMANCE OF JAPANESE QUAIL BIRDS (Coturnix coturnix) FED ON WHOLE OR GROUND MILLET WITH OR WITHOUT ENZYME INCLUSION

Abstract

The performance of Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix Coturnix Japonica) fed on whole millet grain diets treated with or without enzyme as a dietary source of energy was studied. A total of one hundred and fifty unsexed two-week-old Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix Coturnix Japonica) of average weight (44g/bird) were used for the study. The birds were weighed in equal groups of 10 and randomly distributed over 15 pens after which they were placed on 5 dietary treatments. Three of these diets consist of enzyme-treated whole millet substituting maize at 25, 50 and 75% levels while the remaining two diets consist of 100% maize (Control die:) and 100% ground millet respectively. Enzyme Maxi- grain was used. The dietary energy and protein of each diet were 2900kcal/kg and 23% CP respectively. The experiment which was carried out in a completely randomized design (CRD) had each of the five treatments replicated three times with each replicate feed assigned to 10 chicks per pen. Parameters measured or calculated include feed intake, body weight gain, feed efficiency, feed costs, feed cost/kg weight gain and mortality. At the end of the study samples of birds from each replicate were slaughtered to determine weights of carcass, leg, heart, liver, gizzard, back, breast and intestine. The study lasted 6 weeks (February to April, 2014). The results showed that differences in the feed efficiency were not significant (P>0.05) while final weight, weight gain and feed costkg weight gain decreased significantly (P<0.05) across the enzyme-treated diets, the feed intake and age at first egg drop increased significantly (P<0.05). Also, the results of carcass analysis did not show significant differences (P>0.05) in dressing percent, wing, leg, heart, liver and breast weights; however, the gizzard, back and intestinal weights were all significantly different (P<0.05). The Control gave the best performance, although its performance was not significantly different (P>0.05) from that of the diets containing 100% ground millet. Whole millet-containing diets had no adverse effects on mortality. It is therefore concluded from this study that enzyme-treated millet should not be used to substitute maize at higher than 50% level in quail chick diets.