ABSTRACT The current study was conducted to determine the effects of the licorice root (Glycyrrhriza glabra) in laying hens diets on performance, egg cholesterol, some plasma parameters and antioxidant capacity. One hundred, 40-week old laying hens were divided into four groups, each group consisted of 25 hens and were placed in individual cages. The mean of the initial body weight of laying hens was 1829.18±9.595 g. Commercial laying hen diet was supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% levels of licorice root powder and four different dietary groups were formed. From the experimental findings, it was ascertained that the licorice root supplementation had no significant effect on egg weight and feed conversion ratio (p>0.05), but feed consumption decreased with increasing licorice root (p<0.05).Egg yield was recorded as 88.94%, 89.56%, 86.82% and 85.02% in the groups of 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0, respectively (p<0.05).Plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) and egg yolk cholesterol level decreased with the addition of licorice root, while plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) level was increased with licorice root addition (p<0.05). Licorice root addition had a positive effect on total antioxidant capacity (TAS) of plasma. It was determined that the total antioxidant capacity was increased by increasing amount of licorice root. From the overall findings, it can be concluded that licorice root could be used as a feed additive without any adverse effect on performance. It has been demonstrated that the licorice root enables the production of functional eggs.

ABSTRACT This experiment was carried out to determine the effects of using garlic extract (Allium sativum) as an alternative to formaldehyde for the disinfection of hatching eggs on hatching traits and growth performance of quails. Four treatments, with 240 hatching eggs each, were evaluated: egg immersion in two different levels (2.5% and 5.0%) of garlic extract (garlic-1, garlic-2), formaldehyde fumigation (positive control), and eggs not submitted to disinfection (negative control). Mid-term and late embryomortality, pipped egg, and culled chick rates were not influenced by the (p>0.05). The highest (p<0.05) early embryo mortality rate was detected in the formaldehyde treatment (9.99%), and the lowest in garlic-2 treatment (2.68%). Hatchability of fertile eggs was the lowest in the formaldehyde group (83.78%), followed by the control (85.20%), garlic-1 (87.11%) and garlic-2 (88.72%) groups, respectively. The highest final body weight (5 weeks of age) was obtained in the garlic-2 group (304.1 g), followed by the control (294.13 g), formaldehyde (290.56 g), and garlic-1 (288.44 g), respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). Feed intake and feed conversion ratio were not influenced by the treatments (p>0.05). The results obtained for hatching traits and live performance parameters indicated that the immersion of eggs in garlic extract may be used as an alternative to formaldehyde fumigation for the disinfection of hatching quail eggs.

ABSTRACT This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different selection methods of parent lines on the body weight of Japanese quails. For this purpose, line M55 was subjected to individual selection for body weight at 5 weeks of age, while a reciprocal recurrent selection method was applied to lines R33 and S55. Selection lasted two generations. Body weight changes, age and weight at sexual maturity, egg weight, and egg production were investigated in the parent generations as well as in the selection lines. Body weight at 5 weeks of age of the parents of the M55, R33 and S55 lines were 299.0, 285.3, and 280.4 g in the first generation, and 314.8, 316.6, and 306.8±3.11 g in the second generation, respectively. The first generation of the M55, R33, and S55 lines presented egg production rates of 73.4, 77.6, and 75.8%, respectively, and egg weights of 12.7, 11.9, and 12.1g, respectively. The second generation of the M55, R33, and S55 lines presented egg production rates of 74.6, 77.8, and 78.3%, and egg weights of 12.72, 12.59, and 12.56 g, respectively. Both egg production and egg weights were significantly different between the first and the second generations (p>0.05). As a result, despite significant increase in body weight of the selection lines, no significant differences in egg production or egg weight were determined among generations. However, reciprocal selection lines of both generations presented higher egg yield than the individual selected line.