Genetic evaluation of carcass traits in Japanese quail using ultrasonic and morphological measurements

1. A study was conducted to evaluate the carcass composition of 1083 live birds using ultrasonic and morphological measurements and to estimate the genetic relationship between predicted and dissected carcass composition in Japanese quail.

2. Birds were reared for 35 d, and morphological measurements consisting of the length and width of breast muscle were recorded for all birds using a digital caliper. After slaughtering, the weight and percentage of carcass traits were measured on chilled carcasses. The dimensions of breast muscle were measured in 638 birds with an ultrasound scanner before slaughter at 35 d of age.

3. Genetic parameters from univariate and bivariate analyses were obtained by restricted maximum likelihood using ASREML software.

4. Genetic correlations between body weight at 35 d (BW35) and the percentage of carcass traits were low. Therefore, selection for BW35 may not effectively improve the yield of carcass components in Japanese quail.

5. High genetic correlations between carcass traits and ultrasonic measurements compared to morphological measurements suggest that the ultrasonic technique is a better method to improve breast weight and yield in Japanese quail.     

Calorimetric measurements on chickens given diets with a range of energy concentrations

Eight diets with metabolisable energy (ME) concentrations ranging from 9–1 to 15–3 MJ/kg were given to groups of five chickens kept in respiration calorimeters for 3 to 4 d. Availability of ME ranged from 57% to 79%. One diet differed from the others, but for those groups of chickens on the other seven diets availability of ME was 80% when energy balance was negative and only 60% when positive.

Protein synthesis appeared to continue when chickens were in negative energy balance and fat was frequently catabolised when birds were in positive energy balance, apparently to support protein synthesis.     

The effect of dietary lysine excess and deficiency on metabolism in Japanese quail

We conducted three experiments with Japanese quail to study the influence of deficient and excessive contents of lysine in the feed in relation to certain zootechnical parameters, protein value, to the active of liver xanthine dehydrogenase, content of free plasma lysine under the conditions of the maximum saturation of blood pool, and to the changes in 14C-labelled lysine degradation. The zootechnical parameters and protein value were optimum at the content of 5.22 g Lys per 16 g nitrogen in the feed, the activity of liver xanthine dehydrogenase was maximum. In a separate experiment the maximum saturation of blood pool determined with respect to a lysine supply in the feed reached the highest value at 6.88 g Lys per 16 g nitrogen and it decreased later on although the lysine supply increased. We assume the existence of a regulating mechanism that does not allow exceeding certain lysine concentrations in the blood plasma. Lysine degradation measured by the value of 14CO2 expired from 14C-labelled lysine was higher both with lysine deficient and excessive content, than with the lysine content in the feed approaching the required value.     

Postnatal development of enzyme activities of nitrogen catabolism in the liver of Japanese quail]

In the course of postnatal development from the hatching up to the age of 84 days, the activities of xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and arginase were examined in the liver of Japanese quail. The observation in weekly intervals showed a gradual character of XDH development whereas the conclusion of the first degree correlated to some extent with the period of achieving the sexual maturity of animals. The GLDH activity increased in the course of the growth with attainment of the maximum value in the same period. The course of the development of hepatic arginase activity indicated the potential changes of this enzyme.     

Comparison of energy metabolism during the growing period in quail lines selected for body weight

1. The present study was conducted to compare body weight, daily weight gain, relative growth rate, food intake, food conversion efficiency, abdominal fat weight, thyroid weight, plasma T4 concentration, body temperature, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production and heat production among three Japanese‐quail lines selected for body weight: a random bred line (RR) and lines for large (LL) or small (SS) body weight.

2. T4 concentration increased in the order SS, RR, LL in both sexes and did not vary significantly between sexes; the SS line had a significantly higher value than that of the LL line.

3. The body temperatures of SS, RR and LL lines were 42.45, 42.03 and 41.25°C in males, and 42.7, 42.03 and 41.63°C in females.

4. The oxygen consumptions of SS, RR and LL lines were 63.4, 46.0 and 43–8 ml/kgW^0.75 min. in males, and 61.4, 44.8 and 37.2 in females. The value for SS was significantly higher than those of RR and LL lines in both sexes (P< 0.01). The carbon dioxide productions of SS, RR and LL lines were 31.8, 33.8 and 27–3 ml/kgW⁰⁷⁵ min. in males, and 31.2, 31.9 and 27.3 in females. In both sexes, that of the LL line was significantly lower than those of the SS and RR lines (P< 0–01).

6. The heat productions of SS, RR and LL lines were 1.178, 0.994 and 0.842 k]/kgW^01b min. in males, and 1.142, 0.879 and 0.736 in females. In both sexes, the heat production of the SS line was higher than those of the RR and LL lines (P< 0–01).

7. It was demonstrated that selection for body weight in Japanese quail was accompanied not only by changes in growth rate and conversion efficiency but also by changes in thyroid function and energy metabolism.     

A comparison of the energy and nitrogen metabolism of fed ducklings and chickens

1. Energy measurements were made over 4 d on groups of three ducklings (aged from 5 to 22 d), and three broiler chickens (aged from 11 to 32 d) offered high‐ or low‐energy diets.

2. Food, metabolisable energy (ME) and water intakes were significantly higher for ducklings than for chickens. The ratio of water : food was 4.2 : 1 and 2.3 : 1 for ducklings and chickens, respectively. The food conversion ratio differed between diets but not species. Performance was generally better for both species on the high‐energy diet.

3. Heat production, energy, fat and protein retentions were higher for ducklings than chickens, and ducklings retained 0.44 of their energy as fat compared with 0.37 for chickens. Overall the ratio of protein (g) to fat (g) retention was 2.2 : 1 and 2.8 : 1 for ducklings and chickens respectively.

4. For ducklings, metabolisability of the high‐energy diet declined from 0.774 to 0.747, and to a lesser extent of the low‐energy diet, as they aged. There was no such decline for chickens. Net efficiency of utilisation of ME for gain was 0.64 for ducklings compared with 0.50 for chickens.

5. Fractional retention of dietary nitrogen (N) was 0.62 for ducklings and 0.55 for chickens. Gaseous ammonia‐N was 4.5 and 2.2%, respectively, of N retained.

6. In a second experiment groups of ducklings only, were offered high‐and low‐protein diets from 12 to 22 d of age. Comparisons among four diets showed that food and energy intake was lower on the low‐protein diet than on the other three. Energy retention on the high‐energy diet was greater (P<0.05) than on the other three diets.

7. It was concluded that a high‐energy diet is important for ducklings and chickens for maximum biological performance during the first 4 weeks of life.     

A comparison of the energy and nitrogen metabolism of starved ducklings and chickens

1. Respiration chambers were used to measure, over 24 h, the heat production of groups of starved ducklings from two batches and of starved broiler chickens from one batch up to 28 and 39 d of age, respectively. Duration of starvation prior to measurements and ambient temperature were adjusted according to the age of the birds.

2. Respiratory quotient of 0.705 for chickens was significantly lower than that of 0.713 for ducklings.

3. Starvation heat production (kJ/d) of ducklings was 804 kgW^0.70 compared with 675 kgW⁰‘⁷⁴ for chickens. There were differences in heat production between the two batches of ducklings used when expressed per kg body weight (W).

4. Ducklings lost more body weight, body fat and protein than chickens during starvation. Gaseous ammonia‐N was on average 9% of N excreted by ducklings and 4% of N excreted by chickens.     

Effects of temperature treatments on the energy and nitrogen metabolism of fed chickens

1. Calorimetric measurements were made for 5 d on individual broiler chickens (1 kg) fed ad libitum and acclimated or unacclimated to six temperatures from 2 to 35 °C (constant), or alternated between these temperatures and 22 °G (alternated). For the four treatments, heat production was related to temperatures and the resultant curves were significantly different.

2. Food intake, heat production and maintenance energy requirement all increased linearly with decreasing temperature. Metabolisability of the diet was only 13.8 kJ/g at 35 °C, compared with a mean value for all treatments of 14.1 kJ/g.

3. Energy retention and nitrogen (N) retention (g/d, or % dietary N) were maximal at 22 and 16 °C, however the amount of energy deposited as protein remained relatively constant below 30 °C.

4. Net availability of metabolisable energy was calculated in two ways: by calculating the increase in heat production of fed birds above their starvation values giving a mean value of 0.82; this was similar to the mean regression coefficient which included starvation data, and related ME intake and energy retention; but without these data availabilities ranged from 0.45 at 35 °C to 1.0 in the cold.

5. Acclimation or alternating of temperature had very few significant effects, however there were temperature x acclimation effects on N retention and heat production. Similarly alternating temperature significantly increased food intake and heat production at high temperatures, but decreased metabolisability of the diet to 13.7 kJ/g at 35 °C from an overall mean of 14.1 kJ/g.     

Quantification of lysine dynamics in the Japanese quail

To cockerels of the Japanese quail four graduated flooding doses of 14C-labelled L-lysine (20-160 mg) in starch gel were administered into the crop. The animals were slaughtered between 40 and 210 min thereafter. The TCA soluble fraction of the gastrointestinal tract, of blood plasma, liver and muscle were analyzed for their lysine content and its specific radioactivity. Incorporation of radioactivity into the TCA insoluble fraction of the same organs was also followed. After quantification of lysine losses by catabolism and excretion a multicompartment model of lysine dynamics in the quail was set up. Model parameter values in general agree with independently obtained data. The necessity of model validation and extension as well as possibilities for model applications are pointed out.     

P and Ca requirements for Japanese quail

Four experiments were conducted to estimate the phosphorus and calcium requirements for weight maintenance and weight gain in Japanese quails during their growth phase from 16 to 36 days. Japanese quails aged 16 days were used for estimating the phosphorous and calcium requirements for weight maintenance or weight gain, with these quails composing each reference slaughter group and the others distributed in a completely randomized design, housed in cages of galvanized wire (33 × 33 × 16 cm) that were stored in acclimatized chambers with specific environmental temperatures. The light programme used during the 20‐day experimental period was 24 h of artificial light. Analysis of the data showed that the prediction equations for estimating the phosphorus and calcium requirements for weight maintenance and weight gain of Japanese quails between 16 and 36 days of age were P (g/quail/day) = P^0.75*(9.3695 + 7.7397*T) + 9.70*WG, in which P is the phosphorus requirement, and Ca (g/quail/day) = P^0.75*(363.99 – 8.0262*T) + 28.15*WG, in which Ca is the calcium requirement, P is BW (kg), T is temperature (°C) and WG (g/quail/day).     

A simple estimation of ideal profile of essential amino acids and metabolizable energy for growing Japanese quail

An experiment was conducted to determine apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and amino acid requirements of growing Japanese quail based on ideal protein concept using artificial neural network and desirability function (D‐ANN). Seven‐day‐old quail chicks were assigned to nine experimental diets based on central composite design (CCD) containing five levels of AME (2809–3091 kcal/kg) and CP (19–24.8% of diet). The ratio of lysine (Lys) to CP was set at 0.053 among all treatments, and remaining essential amino acids (EAA) were adjusted to Lys. The experimental data of CCD were fitted to D‐ANN model to compute the optimal values for independent variables. The optimal values of inputs including AME, CP, digestible Lys (dLys), methionine (dMet), total sulphur amino acids (dTSAA), threonine (dThr), tryptophan (dTrp), isoleucine (dIle), valine (dVal) and arginine (dArg) for maximizing gain and minimizing feed conversion ratio were estimated at 2865 kcal/kg, 25, 1.32, 0.55, 0.88, 0.84, 0.20, 0.75, 1.04 and 1.45% of diet, respectively, with D (desirability function) = 0.94. The corresponding optimal amounts of amino acids based on total amino acids were 1.42, 0.59, 0.95, 0.90, 0.22, 0.81, 1.12 and 1.56% of diet respectively. The ideal pattern of essential amino acids to Lys was as follows: dMet: dLys = 0.42, dTSAA: dLys = 0.67, dThr: dLys = 0.64, dTrp: dLys = 0.15, dIle: dLys = 0.57, dVal: dLys = 0.79 and dArg: dLys = 1.09. The results of this study showed that amino acid requirements of modern quails might be higher than those reported by NRC.     

Utilization of free and protein-bound lysine in the Japanese quail

The utilization of dietary lysine for protein synthesis is affected by the digestibility of protein-bound lysine, by its intestinal resorption and by its oxidative catabolism. The approach chosen in this paper enables a comparison of the cumulative effect of these processes on the utilization of free and protein-bound lysine, respectively. The principle of the approach is based on a quantification of the expiration of 14C-labelled carbon dioxide after an oral administration of a diet, which contains L-(U-14C)-lysine either as a free amino acid or bound to yeast proteins. During an adaptation phase cockerels of the Japanese quail received a diet based mainly on ground wheat and wheat gluten. This diet was supplemented either with yeast proteins or with a mixture of L-amino acids which simulates the composition of the yeast proteins. In the main experiment the expiration of labelled carbon dioxide was measured during 240 minutes after the administration of the corresponding labelled diets. Just before treatment the animals were either in the postprandial phase or in a state of slight hunger. The maximum of expiration of labelled carbon dioxide occurred around the 60th minute after administration of the corresponding labelled diets. The cumulative expiration of labelled carbon dioxide, expressed in per cent of the radioactive dose used, amounts to 15.5% and 14.3% for free and protein-bound lysine, respectively. The utilization of both forms of lysine in the Japanese quail is lower than in broilers.     

Pharmacokinetics of florfenicol in the plasma of Japanese quail

Abstract

AIM: To determine the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of florfenicol in the plasma of healthy Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).

METHODS: Sixty-five quail were given an I/V and I/M dose of florfenicol at 30 mg/kg bodyweight (BW). A two-period sequential design was used, with a wash-out period of 2 weeks between the different routes of administration. Concentrations of florfenicol in plasma were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

RESULTS: A naíve pooled data analysis approach for the plasma concentration-time profile of florfenicol was found to fit a non-compartmental open model. After I/V administration, the mean residence time (MRT), mean volume of distribution at steady state (V_ss), and total body clearance of florfenicol were 12.0 (SD 0.37) h, 8.7 (SD 0.22) L/kg, and 1.3 (SD 0.08) L/h/kg, respectively. After I/M injection, the MRT, mean absorption time (MAT), and bioavailability were 12.3 (SD 0.37) h, 0.2 (SD 0.02) h, and 79.1 (SD 1.79)%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The time for the concentration of florfenicol to fall below the probable effective concentration of 1 µg/ml of approximately 10 h is sufficient for the minimum inhibitory concentration needed for many bacterial isolates. Further pharm acodynamic studies in quail are needed to evaluate a suitable dosage regimen.     

Traits influencing the hatching performance of Japanese quail eggs

1. Japanese quail eggs from moderately heavier sires showed superior fertility; while fertile eggs from moderately heavier dams hatched slightly better than the eggs from lighter dams.

2. Higher rates of fertility and hatchability of Japanese quail eggs were observed from parents of 10 to 19 weeks of age, with peak fertility and hatchability at 14 and 12 weeks of age, respectively.

3. Sex ratios of 1:2 to 1:5 gave comparable fertility and hatchability results.

4. The hatching performance of quail eggs from cage and deep litter reared breeders was comparable.

5. Fertility and hatchability were directly proportional to the egg weight.

6. Quail egg shell colour, tints and blotches were found to influence hatching performance.

7. Storing quail eggs at 16 ± 2°C and 75 ± 5% relative humidity for more than 4 d reduced hatchability.

8. Hatchability of eggs stored at room temperature was improved if they were sealed in polyethylene bags.

9. Provision of light during the first 14 d of incubation resulted in a photo‐acceleration of about 3.2 h.     

Protein requirement of laying Japanese quail.

1. Two feeding experiments were conducted to determine the crude protein requirement of laying Japanese quail. Birds were fed to provide 293 kJ ME and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 g protein/d. 2. As protein intake increased from 2 to 5 g egg production increased. 3. Quadratic relationships between protein intake and egg production and protein intake and egg weight were derived. 4. To maintain a production of 90 eggs/100 bird d and an egg weight of 9.3 g required 4.9 g protein and approximately 264 kJ ME/d.     

Effects of growth hormone-releasing factor and feed intake on energy metabolism in growing beef steers: whole-body energy and nitrogen metabolism.

Effects of growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) on energy and N metabolism in six growing Hereford x Angus steers were measured using a split-plot design with 4-wk injection periods within 8-wk intake periods. Steers were fed a 75% concentrate pelleted diet at two intakes (low: 50 g/BW.75 and high: 90 g/BW.75 as fed) and injected s.c. with saline or 10 micrograms/kg of BW of human GRF(1-29)NH2 twice daily for 3 wk. Measurements of energy and N balance were obtained during wk 3 of treatments. Diet DM digestibility (%) was decreased by greater intake (P less than .05) and increased by GRF (P less than .06). Treatment with GRF increased (P less than .01) N retention by decreasing (P less than .05) fecal and urinary excretion: N retention averaged 10.0 and 20.8 g/d at low intake and 25.9 and 46.7 g/d at high intake for control- and GRF-treated steers, respectively. Increased ME (P less than .05) in GRF-treated steers also resulted from decreased fecal (P less than .05) and urinary (P less than .07) energy excretion but was countered by increased (P less than .06) heat energy (HE). Tissue energy (TE), partial efficiency of ME use for TE retention, and estimated maintenance energy were not affected (P greater than .10) by GRF treatment. In summary, GRF treatment altered the partition of TE by increasing protein retention (108 and 80% for low and high intake, respectively) at the expense of fat retention.