Welfare indicators for laying Japanese quails caged at different densities.

Daniela F Soares,Weber V.B Soares,José Evandro De Moraes,Keila Maria R Duarte,Sérgio K Kakimoto,Fábio E.L Budiño,Carla C Pizzolante

doi:10.1590/0001-3765201820180276

Daniela F Soares, Weber V.B Soares + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201820180276

Copy DOI

Abstract

In the way to reduce costs in the poultry production, high densities of birds are adopted in the production systems. Such high densities can lead to an inappropriate environment, compromising the welfare and decreasing the animal performance. In this work we aimed to evaluate the effects of different densities on the productive yield, egg quality and immunological aspects of Japanese quails. It was used 816 Japanese quails, during egg production phase, in a random design, with four treatments (121.43 cm2/bird; 106.25 cm2/bird; 94.44 cm2/bird and 85.00 cm2/bird) with six repetitions each. Results indicate density did not interfere on egg quality and all treatments can be considered excellent, once the Haugh Unit was 88.03. Therefore, higher densities decline the yield, decreasing the eggs weight (10.35 g), the laying percentage (88%), egg mass (9.16 g) and the week average feed consumption (157.35 g). IgY values were higher at smaller cage density, suggesting birds in this condition presented better immunological condition, related to welfare and stress factors, all linked to immunoglobulins IgY.

Highlights

Japanese quails are worldwide known as precocious and high productive animals, giving meat and eggs (Albino and Barreto 2012)
The maximization of the production system has brought some issues about the birds welfare
The experimental design was done at Institute of Zootechny, Nova Odessa-SP – Brazil, during 2015, with the aim to evaluate the welfare conditions and possible effects on the productive performance and egg quality of Japanese quails at different cage densities

Summary

Introduction

Japanese quails are worldwide known as precocious and high productive animals, giving meat and eggs (Albino and Barreto 2012). In order to reduce costs with cages and equipment, farmers use high density of birds per cage. Such practice is very common and can be seen as aggressive but generally did not interfere in the production system (Leandro et al 2005). The maximization of the production system has brought some issues about the birds welfare (Faitarone et al 2005), once the area per bird is reduced, as well as the feeding area and the water area, causing increase on the stress and at the end, in the final production, as eggs or meat (Carey et al 1995), interfering on the feed consumption and its performance (Pavan et al 2005).

Objectives

Methods

Results