Abstract
The present study established the reference values and sex differences in the erythrocytic and serum biochemistry parameters of domestic adult quails (Coturnix coturnix). Ninety five adult birds, comprising of 42 males and 53 female Japanese quails were sampled using a simple random sampling technique. Standard procedures were carried out in all haematology and serum biochemistry determinations. The overall mean for the erythrocytic and serum biochemistry parameters were as follows: packed cell volume (PCV) 43.11%, red blood cell count (RBC) 4.31 × 106/µl, haemoglobin concentration (Hbc) 16.21 g/dl, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) 100.69 fl, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) 39.17 pg, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) 39.35 g/dl, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 59.99 IU/L, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 20.85 IU/L, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 107.54 IU/L, total proteins (TP) 5.19 g/dl, albumin (ALB) 3.25 g/dl, globulin (GLB) 1.94 g/dl, albumin: globulin 1.73, total cholesterol (TCHOL) 146.69 mg/dl, total bilirubin (TBIL) 2.37 mg/dl, uric acid (UA) 16.02 mg/dl and creatinine (CREAT) 0.44 mg/dl. The PCV of the males were significantly higher than that of the females, while the MCH and MCHC of the females were significantly higher than those of the males. The serum total proteins, albumin, globulin, uric acid, creatinine, and total cholesterol values of the female quails were higher than those of the male quails. The present data might be useful to avian specialists and veterinary clinicians, but more research works should be carried out on quails to increase the information data base, especially in the tropics.
Highlights
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes
There was no difference between the red blood cell count (RBC) count of the male (5.00 106/μl) and the female (3.76 × 106/μl) quails (Table 3), but the RBC count of the males was higher than the females
There was a difference between the mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) of the males (35.27 pg) and that of the females (42.26 pg) (Table 3), with the MCH of the female quails significantly higher than that recorded for the male quails
Summary
The adult male quail weighs between 100-130 grams (Mizutani, 2003). The male birds can be identified readily by the rusty dark brown colour of the breast feather. Males have a cloacal gland, a bulbous structure located at the upper edge of the vent which secretes a white foamy material. This unique material can be used to access the reproductive fitness of the males. The adult female quail is slightly heavier than the male weighing from 120-160 grams (Ortlieb, 2013). The body colouration of the female bird is similar to the male except that the feathers on the throat and upper breast are long, pointed and much lighter cinnamon. In order to produce fertile eggs, males and females should be enclosed with a maximum of two females per male (Ranklin et al, 1998)
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