Abstract
The present study was conducted to find out the dietary effects of mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) supplemented diets on the production performance of four close-bred flocks (CBFs) of Japanese quail ( Coturnix coturnix japonica ) breeders. A total of 960 twelve-week-old birds of four CBFs were randomly divided into four groups (n = 240) with 12 replicates (n = 20). Birds were fed a corn-based basal diet or the same diet supplemented with 0.25%, 0.50%, and 1.0% MOS for 15 weeks. The authors analysed the data by two-way ANOVA techniques using SAS (Statistical Analysis System). Birds fed MOS-supplemented diets had significantly higher body and egg weight, egg mass, and egg number than the control group. Similarly, the feed conversion ratio (FCR)/dozen eggs, FCR/kg egg mass, and mortality were significantly lower in MOS supplemented groups. However, no significant effect of MOS supplementation was recorded on feed intake and egg production of birds. None of the parameters differed significantly among CBFs. The results showed that feeding MOS as a replacement for antibiotic growth factor may positively influence the production performance and health of Japanese quail breeders. Keywords: Body weight, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion ratio, mortality
Highlights
Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have normally been used to enhance the production performance of poultry and other farm animals
It has been thought that AGPs reduce toxin levels (Feighner & Dashkevicz, 1987) and growth-depressing metabolites (Niewold, 2007) produced by the bacteria of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and promote growth and feed efficiency
Prebiotics, probiotics, and symbiotics are regarded as possible alternatives to AGPs
Summary
Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have normally been used to enhance the production performance of poultry and other farm animals. The decrease in pathogens and increase in beneficial bacteria may be because of competition for receptor sites, and the production of volatile fatty acids, of some bacteriocins, and of IgA antibodies by the immune system of the host (Brzoska et al, 2007; Kim et al, 2009). Owing to these beneficial changes in microflora, the number of goblet cells and length of intestinal villi increase, which promotes the health and functions of the GIT of the host (Rehman et al, 2009; Bonos et al, 2010; Vahdatpour et al, 2011). The present study was designed to elucidate the effects of MOS supplementation on growth and production performance of four CBFs of Japanese quail breeders
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