Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Associate Professor, Animal Science Research Department, Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Shiraz, Iran
2 PhD Candidate, Animal Science Research Department, Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Shiraz, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Animal Science Research Department, Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Shiraz, Iran
4 Associate Professor, Shiraz Branch, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Shiraz, Iran.
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of replacing corn grain with triticale in the diet on the performance, carcass characteristics, small intestine morphology, and acidity of small intestine and cecal contents in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) from 15 to 38 days of age. In this experiment, 300 Japanese quails were distributed in a completely randomized design with 20 experimental units (5 treatments with 4 replicates of 15 birds each). The experimental treatments included: 1) control diet based on corn and soybean meal, 2) replacing 25% of corn with triticale, 3) replacing 50% of corn with triticale, 4) replacing 75% of corn with triticale, and 5) 100% replacement of corn grain with triticale grain. Compared to the control group, replacing corn grain with triticale up to 100% in the diet had no significant effect on feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and feed cost per kilogram of live weight produced throughout the entire rearing period (P≤0.05). No significant differences were observed between the experimental treatments and the control group in terms of carcass characteristics, acidity of small intestine digesta, and intestinal histological indices (P≤0.05). Therefore, it is possible to replace 100% of corn grain with triticale in balanced diets of Japanese quails during the growth period (15 to 38 days of age).
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