Young Japanese Quail Research Articles

Mothering during early development influences subsequent emotional and social behaviour in Japanese quail

The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of mothers on the emotional reactivity and social behaviour in young precocial Japanese quail. We used a classical method of maternal deprivation. Ethological tests and observations analysed and compared the behaviour of young artificially raised quail to that of young raised by adoptive maternal quail. After separation from mothers, brooded young were more fearful (frightened easily) in the presence of humans (human-observer tests) and more neophobic in novel environments (open-field and hole-in-the-wall tests) than young raised artificially. As chicks rarely expressed fear during the brooding period, no differences related to mothering could be observed at that time. In separation tests, brooded chicks jumped significantly more frequently than non-brooded chicks and later, observations of groups revealed that brooded chicks remained closer to one another than non-brooded chicks. Social motivation of brooded chicks appeared to be higher. These results indicate that, during their first days of life, mothers influence the emotional and social behaviour of their young.

Effect of chronic progesterone injection on egg production in Japanese quail

Young laying turkey hens ceased laying and developed a polycystic ovarian follicle (PCOF) syndrome 3 wk after injections of progesterone (P4) ceased. It was hypothesized that laying Japanese quail chronically injected with progesterone (P4) would respond with reduced or arrested egg production and altered ovarian morphology similar to that seen in turkeys expressing the PCOF syndrome, and could thus serve as a model to study the PCOF syndrome. To test these hypotheses, 6 trials were conducted with young photosensitive Japanese quail photostimulated to induce sexual maturity with either 24L:0D or 14L:10D at 6 or 8 wk of age, and used after 3 to 5 wk of egg production. The quail were injected once daily at dosages of 0, 0.17, 0.33, 0.5, 1.5, 3.0, or 4.5 mg of P4/kg per d, or twice daily at dosages of 0 and 1.5 mg of P4/kg for 8 to 14 d and were then necropsied 1 d after the last injection or after waiting an additional 8 to 14 d. During the injection period, egg production was not different among P4 dosages <1.5 mg of P4/kg per d, but decreased at dosages of 1.5 mg of P4/kg per d or greater. A decrease in egg production was found with twice daily injections of 1.5 mg of P4/kg. The decrease in egg production rate ceased and egg production resumed 5 to 7 d after the last injections of 3.0 and 4.5 mg of P4/kg per d or twice-daily injections of 1.5 mg of P4/kg. Compared with control hens, a high percentage of hens (from 12 to 75%) held a hard-shelled egg in the uterus during single daily injections at dosages of 3.0 and 4.5 mg of P4/kg per d and twice daily injections of 1.5 mg of P4/kg. Ovary and oviductal weights, and number of hierarchical follicles were not changed after chronic P4 injection, but more atretic follicles were found in hens at the end of 8 to 12 d of P4 injection. In conclusion, a decreasing egg production rate was induced by chronic P4 injection, but the decrease ceased and egg production resumed 5 to 7 d after the last injections in laying Japanese quail. Young quail hens, unlike young turkey hens, did not develop a PCOF-like syndrome after P4 injection.

Synchronization of Ultradian Rhythms of Activity in Young Japanese Quail: Effect of Kin Relationships

Synchronization of activity cycles is common in coveys of gallinaceous birds, which usually include a dozen chicks at birth. To study this synchronization more precisely, we recorded the ultradian rhythms of activity of seven groups of young Japanese quail reared in the laboratory, without brooding females. Four groups included only kin-related birds (K1–K4), two mixed groups consisted of associated chicks from two families (M1 and M2 groups), and the seventh group (NK group) included only non-kin chicks. Numbers of chicks in a group varied from eight to 14, depending on the group. They were observed twice during their two first weeks of life (day 3 and day 10) and all activities were recorded by scan sampling. An ultradian rhythm of activity, with a period less than 20 minutes, was found. This period varied among quail families. All chick groups were globally synchronized, except group M2 on day 3. Inter-individual levels of synchronization were calculated. Spearman rank correlation coefficients of the non-kin chicks were significantly lower than those of kin-related chicks. This was especially clear on day 3. Survival of newborn quails is linked to their presence within a covey or a group. Their survival, as well that of their brothers and sisters, may be enhanced by an ability to synchronize with kin better than with non-kin chicks.

Mothers’ fear of human affects the emotional reactivity of young in domestic Japanese quail

The aim of this study was to determine whether mothers’ fear of human could influence the way young domestic Japanese quail respond to human. The first step was to obtain a set of adoptive mothers habituated-to-human (H mothers) and a set of adoptive mothers non-habituated-to-human (NH mothers). A set of 6-month-old adult females was handling daily for 15 successive days whereas another set of 6-month-old adult females received no visual or physical contact with human during the same period. We then obtained two sets of adoptive mothers non-divergent in tonic immobility (TI) duration but divergent by the amount of “fear” behaviour expressed towards human (human observer test, cage-plus-experimenter test). Then, we compared a set of young raised by H mothers to a set of young raised by NH mothers. Observations and tests were carried out both during the brooding period (between 5 and 12 days of age) and after separation from mothers (between 13 and 90 days of age). Our results revealed that young raised by H mothers were less fearful towards a static human (cage-plus-experimenter test, hand-on-home-cage-door-test) as well as towards a moving human (human observer test and capture test) than young raised by NH mothers. Nevertheless, as was found between the two sets of adoptive mothers, no clear differences were found between the two sets of young concerning general emotional reactivity (tonic immobility test, open field test and hole-in-the-wall test). These results reveal that young bird’s emotional reactivity to human could be modulated by the mother and that this maternal influence remains detectable well after the end of maternal contact.

Transgene expression in hypertrophied and aged skeletal muscle in vivo by lentivirus delivery.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based lentiviral vectors can infect dividing and non-dividing cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of lentiviral transfer of the green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene into post-mitotic quail skeletal muscle and into fibers undergoing hypertrophy and hyperplasia via addition of satellite cell nuclei. A vesicular stomatitis virus G-protein (pMFG)-pseudotyped lentiviral vector encoding the eGFP gene coding sequence, flanked by two long terminal repeats (LTRs) (pHR-CMV-eGFP-Wsin-18) and an optional plasmid (pRSVrev), was generated in 293T cells by means of the three-plasmid system. The resulting lentiviral vector, LtV/eGFP, was injected in vivo into the patagialis muscles of young (6 weeks of age) and senescent (100 weeks of age) Japanese quail. Polybrene (10 micro g/muscle) was injected in the right patagialis muscles of some birds. A weight was attached to the left wing of birds immediately following LtV/eGFP injection for 7, 14 or 21 days to induce hypertrophy in the patagialis muscle via satellite cell activation. A time-released bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) pellet was implanted in some birds to identify satellite cells that had proliferated during stretch-overload. Control and experimental muscles were examined 7, 14 or 21 days following injection and wing loading. Seven days post-injection proved to be insufficient to visualize and quantify the eGFP signal. EGFP-positive fibers were evident 14 and 21 days after injection of LtV/eGFP. As expected, wing weighting resulted in hypertrophy of the patagialis of senescent and young birds and an increase in collagen and other connective tissue in muscles of old birds. Nevertheless, this did not interfere with expression levels or intensity of the eGFP vector because the area of eGFP-positive fibers normalized to total muscle area was similar in control and overloaded muscles, and in muscles that were injected with the lentivirus vector but not loaded. Polybrene improved eGFP expression by 41% as compared with muscles that received only the lentivirus. These findings provide the first evidence that this lentivirus vector is an efficient tool for gene transfer and expression in mature (non-growing) fibers of adult birds, sarcopenic fibers of senescent birds and hypertrophying skeletal muscle fibers of both young adult and old birds. This system could be useful for tissue engineering, or treating aging-associated muscle-wasting diseases such as sarcopenia, especially when exercise/overload are added to gene therapy approaches to combat muscle loss with aging.

Nongenomic inheritance of emotional reactivity in Japanese quail

Avian scientific literature includes few reports on the influence of characteristics of mothers on the behavior of their offspring. By comparing young domestic Japanese quail raised by adoptive mothers with high levels of general emotional reactivity (E+ mothers) to young raised by adoptive mothers with low levels of general emotional reactivity (E- mothers), we evaluated the influence of characteristics of mothers on the behavioral development of their offspring. Our results revealed that general emotional reactivity was higher in young raised by E+ mothers than in young raised by E- mothers. These differences were significant in the presence of mothers as well as after separation from them, suggesting direct as well as long-term maternal influence. Young raised by E+ mothers also presented delayed increases in weight.

Adaptability of Japanese Quail Chicks to Conditions of Simulated Weightlessness

The objective of this study was to evaluate the adaptability of young Japanese quail chicks to the simulated weightlessness, represented by hypodynamy. Unsexed hatchlings were subjected to hypodynamy on either the first, second or third day of age and reared under these conditions to 21 days of age. During this period, the control quail chicks were housed in a floor box. The effect of hypodynamy on adaptability of chicks was significant (P < 0.001). Approximately 75% of all chicks exposed to hypodynamy were not able to adapt in three experimental groups, although significant differences in adaptability were not found between these groups. Those birds were considered as non-adapted (eliminated from experiment) that manifested hyperactivity, escape attempts, turning 180 degrees in the sling, soaking in the water from the drinker, as well as the total apathy, at least three times per day. This experiment confirmed that some quail chicks are capable of adapting to conditions simulating weightlessness to 21 days of age and that the first 2-weeks after hatching may be a critical period of quail sensitivity to hypodynamy. This finding raises a key issue relevant to rearing quails in simulated weightlessness until the age of sexual maturity.

Ultradian Rhythm of Activity in Japanese Quail Groups under Semi-Natural Conditions during Ontogeny: Functional Aspects and Relation to Circadian Rhythm

The function of ultradian rhythms is not yet clearly elucidated. In particular, short-term rhythms are expressed during early ontogeny, especially in broods of precocial birds. We investigated the relationship between the clarity of the ultradian rhythm of the activity/rest cycle of a group of young Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and the level of social synchronisation and spatial cohesion between the birds within that group. The subjects were descended from two lines selected for either very pronounced rhythmic or arrhythmic circadian activity. We found a positive relationship between the clarity of the ultradian rhythm of the activity/rest cycle when birds were young and the clarity of the circadian rhythm of feeding activity when birds were older, but still immature. The temporal organisation of the behaviour of the chicks from these two lines was observed in outdoor aviaries, when they were 4, 8, 12 and 15 days old. The mean ultradian period expressed by groups of 12 chicks was variable, with a minimum of 6 minutes. The ultradian period lengthened regularly as chicks grew older, and reached approximately 40 min on day 15. The clarity of the ultradian rhythmicity of group activity was linked to the level of inter-individual social synchronisation and of spatial cohesion; the more pronounced the ultradian rhythms of a group, the greater the temporal and spatial cohesion of the chicks within the group. Moreover, these characteristics varied with the age of the chicks. Finally, chicks in the less rhythmic groups weighed less. These results stress the adaptive value of this temporal organisation strategy under natural conditions.

Age-related and steroid induced changes in the histones of the quail liver

Histones were extracted from the liver of young, adult and old Japanese quails. Both linker and core histones were found to vary with age. An extra band, H3X, was found between H2A and H4. Its level is higher in young and old birds in comparison to that of the adult. H3X shows interesting changes under steroid induction. Its level is higher in progesterone administered young birds. In adult and old birds, it is higher in progesterone treated (P) and progesterone primed estradiol administered (P+E) birds, and lower in all estradiol (E) and estradiol primed progesterone administered (E+P) birds. The relative levels of H3X in the steroid administered birds also vary with age. Such changes may influence chromatin conformation and gene expression.

Experimental candidiasis in Japanese quail: Pathological changes

Candidiasis was experimentally produced in young Japanese quail by oral administration of Candida albicans cells. Lesions were confined to upper digestive tract with most characteristic changes occurring on the mucosa of crop. No lesions were observed in other tissues of the body. The initial changes in the crop were characterized by thickening and yellowish-white necrotic plaques on the mucosa. From 10th day onwards, there was marked thickening and corrugations of the crop mucosa giving it a typical 'turkish towel' appearance. Varying degree of mucosal swelling was also observed in the oesophagus and proventriculus. Two of the infected birds also revealed yellowish-white necrotic plaques on the tongue at 7th and 10th day post-infection. The prominent microscopic lesions in the crop and tongue consisted of hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis with congestion of the subepithelial tissues. Varying degree of parakeratosis and epithelial hyperplasia coupled with subepithelial oedema and hypertrophy of glands was observed in the oesophagus. The proventriculus and small intestine revealed congestion, oedema, mild to marked goblet cell hyperplasia and focal epithelial sloughing. Fungal elements could be demonstrated in the sections of tongue up to 10 days while in crop up to 14 days post-infection. Reisolation of the fungus was consistently achieved from the crop of infected birds throughout the duration of the experiment.

Effect of dietary aflatoxin B1 on the growth response and haematologic changes of young Japanese quail.

Feeding of aflatoxin B1 at the rate of 0.5 ppm to young Japanese quail resulted in significant (p less than 0.01) decrease in body weight gain that became apparent on the third week. There was no significant difference in the mean values of haemoglobin, packed cell volume and total erythrocyte counts of quail chicks given aflatoxin B1 in feed in comparison to those fed on a similar diet without aflatoxin. However, the total leucocyte count revealed an increase on the third week which was due to an increase in the percentage of heterophils and decrease in lymphocytes.

Effect of guar gum and tocotrienols on cholesterol metabolism on the Japanese quail

The effects of dietary fibre (α-cellulose or guar gum) and tocotrienols from palm oil were studied in young and mature Japanese quail. The diets were based on ingredients of vegetable origin with equal amounts of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. In young quail, dietary guar gum plus tocotrienols was effective in reducing plasma cholesterol and liver size in comparison to quail fed α-cellulose. Tocotrienol had no effect on cholesterol metabolism when included in the α-cellulose treatment. In mature quail tocotrienols were not effective in reducing blood cholesterol. Neither guar gum nor tocotrienol altered the propensity of Japanese quail to develop atherosclerosis in the aortic arch. The Reflotron proved to be a good instrument for providing quick and reproducible results for blood cholesterol and the results are comparable to those obtained from analyses with an enzymatic kit. The small quantity (30 μl) of blood required for the Reflotron enables serial samples to be taken from small animals.

Influence of the method of fluoride administration on toxicity and fluoride concentrations in japanese quail

AbstractYoung Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were administered NaF for 16 d either in their diet or by esophageal intubation. Based on the total fluoride ion (Σmg F−) intake over the 16‐d experimental period, fluoride administered by intubation was at least six times more toxic than that fed in the diet. Dietary concentrations of 1,000 ppm F− (Σmg F− for 16 d = approx. 144) produced no mortality, whereas intubated doses produced 73% or greater mortality in all groups administered 54 mg F−/kg/d or more (Σmg F− for 16 d ≥ approx. 23 mg). Graphic comparison of the regression of log F− ppm in femurs/mg F− intake showed that fluoride levels in the femurs of quail administered fluoride by intubation were higher than in those administered fluoride in the diet.

Distribution of nanomole quantities of 235U in young and adult Japanese quail and in the F 1 generation. Comparison with 135Gd

Enriched uranium, 93.16% for 235U, served as a tracer of uranium deposition in an avian species, the Japanese quail. A second label, 153Gd, provided for monitoring of procedures and for estimation of the 235U content of live eggs. Depositions of 235U were greater than for 153Gd in all tissues except the yolk sac and the liver. Skeletal levels for 235U were age- and sex-dependent. Feathers contained only 0.11 % of the 235U tracer in contrast to 50% of the endogenous uranium. The results show that 235U provides for tracing uranium metabolism in small animals, since in quail the tracer increased the uranium burden of the body by only 1–8%.

A Simple and Inexpensive Caging System for Use in Laboratory Studies with Poultry

The simple construction of a low-cost, portable, easily cleaned, multiple compartment cage for the maintenance of small numbers of young chickens or Japanese quail is described. This cage permits the accurate measurement of feed and water intake and quantitative excrement collection from individual birds without contamination of the excrement with feed or water. Use of this cage in several experiments has demonstrated its usefulness in a research environment.

Effects of low levels of dietary lead and iron on hepatic RNA, protein, and minerals in young Japanese quail

Day-old Japanese quail were fed purified diets containing either 0.2 (control), 5.4, or 16.2 ppm lead as the acetate with either 25 (deficient) or 100 ppm (adequate control) iron for 2 weeks. Iron deficiency caused decreases in hemoglobin, iron, and managanese concentrations in the liver, and hepatic RNA synthesis. Iron deficiency also caused increased concentrations of lead, calcium, and molybdenum in the liver. Lead supplements caused increased concentrations of lead in the liver, and with adequate dietary iron, each supplemental lead level caused a slight decrease in the concentration of RNA in the liver. Treatment had no effect on DNA or protein synthesis, body weight, or liver weight in relation to body weight. These low levels of dietary lead did not cause the same adverse metabolic effects observed by others with higher levels of lead; however, iron deficiency increased lead uptake by the liver and affected RNA synthesis.

Effects of Zinc, Iron and Copper Deficiencies on Cadmium in Tissues of Japanese Quail

Experiments with young Japanese quail were conducted to determine whether combined moderate deficiencies of zinc, iron and copper would cause greater uptake and tissue retention of cadmium than the single deficiencies. Birds were fed the experimental diets containing 62 ppb cadmium from hatching to 16 days of age. On day 9 each bird received a dose of 109CdCl2 in its diet. On day 10, the duodenal and jejunal-ileal tissues contained large amounts of cadmium, and there were many significant effects of treatment on cadmium-109 retention in the livers and kidneys. At day 16, zinc deficiency caused increased cadmium in the liver, whereas iron and copper deficiencies each caused increased cadmium in the kidneys. Combined deficiencies had little or no greater effect than single deficiencies and in some cases the combined effect was less than that of a single deficiency.

Effects of zinc, iron and copper deficiencies on cadmium in tissues of Japanese quail.

Experiments with young Japanese quail were conducted to determine whether combined moderate deficiencies of zinc, iron and copper would cause greater uptake and tissue retention of cadmium than the single deficiencies. Birds were fed the experimental diets containing 62 ppb cadmium from hatching to 16 days of age. On day 9 each bird received a dose of 109CdCl2 in its diet. On day 10, the duodenal and jejunal-ileal tissues contained large amounts of cadmium, and there were many significant effects of treatment on cadmium-109 retention in the livers and kidneys. At day 16, zinc deficiency caused increased cadmium in the liver, whereas iron and copper deficiencies each caused increased cadmium in the kidneys. Combined deficiencies had little or no greater effect than single deficiencies and in some cases the combined effect was less than that of a single deficiency.

Magnesium Stores and Anemia in Young Japanese Quail

Studies were conducted to determine the effect of age on magnesium requirement and whether high dietary magnesium during the first 7 days of life would protect against subsequent magnesium deficiency. Day-old Japanese quail were fed a casein-gelatin diet containing either 300 (requirement) or 600 ppm Mg. Beginning on day 7, half of the birds in each group received either 160 (deficient) or 300 ppm Mg. In birds fed the requirement level during week 1 followed by the deficient diet, hemoglobin decreased on day 10, reaching the lowest value on day 14. Other adverse effects included mortality; slightly reduced growth rate; elevated iron in the liver, spleen, and tibia; decreased tibia magnesium; and increased spleen weight. Higher dietary magnesium (600 ppm) during week 1 prevented deficiency when 160 ppm Mg was fed in week 2; however, tibia magnesium was lower than that in birds fed 300 ppm Mg throughout. The protection may be related to reutilization of skeletal magnesium, which was elevated on day 7. In this and another experiment, birds initially fed 300 ppm Mg followed by 160 ppm (7–28 days) or 125 ppm Mg (14–28 days) had normal hemoglobin values at 21 and 28 days. These experiments showed that magnesium requirement decreased as quail aged (up to 4 weeks) and that a high magnesium diet (600 ppm) fed through days 0–7 protected against subsequent dietary inadequacy.

Experimental Aflatoxicosis in Young Japanese Quail ,

Japanese quail from the university colony fed graded levels of dietary aflatoxin (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 μg/g) from hatching to 4 weeks of age were comparatively resistant to aflatoxin as growth inhibition occurred at a dose of 5.0 μg/g or more as about 50% mortality occurred at a dose of 20 μg/g. The acute oral LD50 was 19.5 ± 4.8 mg/kg. These values are up to ten times those reported in the literature for other quail. The most sensitive indicators of aflatoxicosis were depressed serum proteins and serum carotenoids and enlarged liver and pancreas, all of which occurred at 1.25 μg/g, the smallest dose administered. Unlike chickens, the serum lipids, liver lipids, hemoglobin, serum uric acid, and spleen size of quail were not affected significantly (P<.05). The sizes of the proventriculus and gizzard were increased by doses of 5.0 μg/g or higher, whereas the bursa of Fabricius was regressed by the same dose.