Resumo O presente estudo foi planejado para determinar variações nos parâmetros externos e internos de qualidade dos ovos de diferentes espécies de aves, incluindo avestruz Struthio camelus, patos Anas platyrhynchos, frango Gallus gallus, perus Meleagris gallopavo e francolin cinza Francolinus pondicerinus. Todas as aves foram mantidas em condições de criação semelhantes. Um total de 150 ovos foi coletado para cada espécie para registrar as características externas desses ovos. Variações estatisticamente significativas (p < 0,05) foram registradas no peso do ovo, comprimento do ovo e largura do ovo entre os ovos de avestruz, patos, galinha, peru e codorna. Significativamente (p < 0,05) maior peso do ovo, comprimento e largura do ovo foram observados para ovos de avestruz, enquanto o mesmo foi menor para ovos de francolina cinza. Da mesma forma, significativamente (p < 0,05) maiores valores de índice de forma e volume de ovo foram observados para ovos de avestruz, enquanto os menores valores de índice de forma foram registrados para ovos de peru e o volume de ovo foi menor para francolina cinza. Significativamente, maiores (p < 0,05) valores de densidade de ovos foram observados para ovos de codorna e os mesmos foram menores para ovos de avestruz. Variações não significativas nos valores de densidade de ovos foram observadas entre os ovos de pato, frango, peru e francolina cinza. Concluiu-se que as correlações positivas entre as características internas e externas de qualidade do ovo indicaram que as características podem ser melhoradas por meio da seleção.

Abstract Present study was planned to determine variations in external and internal quality egg parameters of different avian species including ostrich Struthio camelus, ducks Anas platyrhynchos, chicken Gallus gallus, turkeys Meleagris gallopavo and grey francolin Francolinus pondicerinus. All the birds were kept under similar rearing conditions. A total of 150 eggs were collected for each species to record external features of these eggs. Statistically significant (p<0.05) variations were recorded in egg weight, egg length and egg width between ostrich, ducks, chicken, turkey and quail eggs. Significantly (p<0.05) higher egg weight, egg length and egg width was observed for ostrich eggs while the same was lowest for grey francolin eggs. Similarly, significantly (p<0.05) greater shape index and egg volume values were observed for ostrich eggs while lowest shape index values were recorded for turkey eggs and egg volume was lowest for grey francolin. Significantly, higher (p<0.05) values of egg density were noted for eggs of the quail and the same were lowest for ostrich eggs. Non-significant variations in egg density values were observed between eggs of the ducks, chicken, turkey and grey francolin. It has been concluded that the positive correlations between the internal and external egg quality traits indicated that the traits can be improved through selection.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the productive performance of laying quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). The study was carried out at the poultry farm of the La Molina National Agrarian University in Lima, Peru. In total, 1296 quail distributed in 96 females and 48 males of three ages (45, 52 and 59 days) with 130, 140 and 150 g of body weight, respectively, at the beginning of the laying were used. A random block design witha32 factorial arrangement was used, taking as factors age and weight at the beginning of laying and as a block the weeks of laying (8, 11 and 17). The highest egg mass (10.72 ± 0.41 g/day/bird) was obtained when the quails started laying with 150 g of live weight.

RESUMEN El objetivo de la investigación fue evaluar el rendimiento productivo de codornices (Coturnix coturnix japonica) de postura. El estudio se realizó en la granja de aves de la Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina en Lima, Perú. Se utilizaron 1296 codornices distribuidas en 96 hembras y 48 machos de tres edades (45, 52 y 59 días) con 130, 140 y 150 g de peso al inicio de la postura, respectivamente. Se empleó un diseño de bloques aleatorios con arreglo factorial 32 teniendo como factores edad y peso al inicio de postura y como bloque a las semanas de postura (8, 11 y 17). Las mejores conversiones alimenticias fueron de 3.67±0.36 y de 3.68±0.35, sin diferencias estadísticas entre ellas, y se obtuvieron cuando las aves iniciaron su postura con pesos de 130 y 140 g, respectivamente. La mayor masa de huevos (10.72±0.41 g/día/ave) se obtuvo cuando las aves iniciaron su postura con 150 g de peso vivo.

Abstract This study was undertaken to investigate the performance, carcass characteristics, and economic viability of diets including pasta waste in meal form (PWM) for quail. A total of 450 unsexed meat quail (Coturnix coturnix coturnix) were distributed into five treatments (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40% inclusion of PWM) in a completely randomized design with six replicates, each with 15 birds. The following rearing periods were evaluated: Phase 1 - 1 to 21 days; and period of 1 to 42 days. In Phase 1, the PWM levels did not influence feed intake (FI), and the PWM inclusion levels for optimal weight gain (WG) and feed conversion (FC) were estimated at 20.70% and 22.8%, respectively. In the cumulative period of 1 to 42 days, the PWM levels did not lead to differences in FI, WG, or FC. The yields of carcass and cuts were not influenced by the treatments; however, abdominal fat yield decreased as the PWM levels in the diets were increased. Economic analysis showed a reduction of the feeding cost in the studied phases. Pasta waste meal can be included up to the level of 40% without incurring losses in the performance or carcass yield of meat quail.

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of stocking density and dietary supplementation of probiotic (Lactobacillus) on growth, traits of carcass, lymphoid organs and intestinal microbial count of Japanese quail. Quail chicks (one week old) were randomly allotted to 6 groups in a 2×3 factorial experiment included 2 levels of stocking density (100, and 75 cm2/bird) and 3 levels of probiotic (0.00, 0.02 and 0.04 g/kg diet). Quail reared at 100 cm2/ bird showed significantly the highest body weight and daily gain. Quail reared at 75 cm2/ bird had significantly the lower average of feed consumption and the best ratio of feed conversion. Increasing level of probiotic up to 0.04 g/kg led to a significant decrease in dressing percentage by about 2.7 % compared to the control. Interaction effect was insignificant on carcass traits studied except for liver percentage which was significantly higher for birds fed diet supplemented with probiotic at 0.04 g/kg of diet and reared at 100 cm2/bird. Rearing quail at 100 cm2/bird stocking density significantly increased bursa weight. Birds fed diet supplemented with probiotic at 0.02 g/kg of diet and reared at 100 cm2/bird showed significantly the highest (p = 0.043) spleen weight when compared with the other groups. In conclusion, the low (100 cm2/bird) stocking density was sufficient to give better performance of Japanese quail than the other group. Probiotic supplementation diminished the stressful effect of crowding on growing Japanese quail.

RESUMO Dois experimentos foram conduzidos para investigar como o peso corporal de codornas japonesa ao final do período de recria pode alterar os parâmetros de desempenho durante a fase de postura. Nos dois experimentos as aves foram distribuídas em cinco tratamentos em função do peso corporal, estes foram obtidos aos 42 e aos 35 dias de idade, para o primeiro e segundo experimento respectivamente. Para ambos os experimentos foram consideradas as classes: muito leves, leves, peso médio, pesadas e muito pesadas. Os tratamentos foram distribuídos em delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com oito repetições por tratamento para o primeiro experimento e seis repetições por tratamento para o segundo experimento, ambos com 18 aves por repetição. No primeiro experimento, foram avaliados a maturidade sexual, a porcentagem de postura, a porcentagem de ovos comercializados, o peso médio dos ovos e massa de ovos. No segundo experimento foram avaliados o consumo de ração, o peso corporal final, os ovos por ave presente, a porcentagem de postura, o peso médio dos ovos, massa de ovos e a conversão alimentar. Os resultados mostram que codornas com peso corporal inferior a 140 gramas aos 42 dias de vida, ou inferior a 120 gramas aos 35 dias de vida, pioram significativamente os resultados produtivos durante o período de postura.

ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted at different times with the objective of investigating how the body weight of Japanese quails at the end of the rearing period may alter the performance during the laying phase. In both experiments, the birds were distributed in five treatments according to their body weights, which were obtained at 42 and 35 days of age for the first and second experiments respectively, and the following categories were considered for said experiments: very light, light, average, heavy and very heavy. For both experiments, the treatments were distributed in a randomized block design, at eight repetitions per treatment for the first one and six for the second one, both at 18 birds per repetition. During the first experiment, sexual maturity, laying percentage, marketable egg percentage, average egg weight and egg mass, in second experiment, feed consumption, final body weight, eggs per bird present, laying percentage, average egg weight, egg mass and alimentary conversion were evaluated. The results obtained show that Japanese quails whose body weight is lower than 140 grams at 42 days of age, or lower than 120 grams at 35 days of age show significantly worse productive results during the laying phase.

Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito da debicagem e do tipo de bebedouro sobre o desempenho produtivo de codornas japonesas, 672 fêmeas de codornas de um dia foram usadas em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado e distribuídas em um dos três tratamentos como não-debicagem; debicagem até 1/3 dos bicos; e cauterização, com oito repetições de 28 aves na fase de cria. As aves foram debicadas aos 21 dias de idade e, no 35 dia, foram avaliados o ganho de peso, o consumo de ração, a conversão alimentar e a taxa de mortalidade. Aos 39 dias, 576 codornas foram remanejadas para gaiolas de postura, distribuídas em esquema fatorial 3 × 2, composto de três tipos de debicagem e dois tipos de bebedouro (taça e nipple), de modo que cada combinação foi avaliada com quatro repetições de 24 aves. A fase de produção teve início quando as aves atingiram 50% de produção de ovos, aos 60 dias de idade. As codornas submetidas a debicagem por cauterização apresentaram menor ganho de peso e menor consumo de ração na fase de cria. O estresse pela dor com a debicagem por cauterização pode justificar não só o menor consumo e o menor ganho de peso, como também a maior mortalidade. Infere-se que este método, por ser mais demorado, tenha provocado mais dor e maior nível de estresse, piorando o desempenho das aves. A debicagem de 1/3 dos bicos cortados pode ter ocasionado estresse menos intenso às aves, não interferindo no desempenho. Não se observaram diferenças no desempenho das aves e na qualidade de ovos entre os tipos de bebedouro e métodos de debicagem utilizado na fase de produção. O método de debicagem por cauterização influencia o desempenho de codornas na fase de cria, mas, na fase de produção, assim como o tipo de bebedouro utilizado, não interfere no desempenho das aves nem na qualidade de ovos.

A total of 672 one day old- female quails was allotted to a completely randomized experimental design, with three treatments (non-trimmed birds; 1/3 of the beak trimmed and cauterized beak), 8 replicates of 28 birds to evaluate the effect of beak trimming and drinking system on productive performance. The birds were beak trimmed at 21 days of age, and at day 35 the weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion and mortality were evaluated. At day 39, 576 quails were transfered to laying cages, and assigned to a 3x2 factorial arrangement, to evaluate three beak trimming methods and two drinking systems (cup and nipple) by using four replicates of 24 birds each. The production phase started when the birds reached 50% egg production, at 60 days of age. The quails submitted to beak trimming by cauterization showed smaller weight and lower feed intake during the initial period. Stress pain due to the cauterized beak can justify not only lower feed intake and lower weight gain, but also increased mortality. It can be inferred that once this method takes more time it has caused more pain and higher levels of stress, worsening the performance of birds. The trimmed to 1/3 of the beaks cut can have caused stress to the birds less intense, without effect on performance. No differences on bird performance and egg quality were observed between drinking systems and beak trimming during the laying phase. In the initial phase, beak trimming system reduced performance, however, during the production phase, both drinking and beak trimming systems do not affect performance and egg quality of Japanese quails.

Las teorías clásicas propuestas para explicar las preferencias sexuales han hecho énfasis en los determinantes genéticos; consideran que las preferencias de las hembras y los rasgos sexuales de los machos coevolucionan, porque los rasgos son un indicador confiable de "buenos genes" que favorecen la supervivencia de los hijos. Una hipótesis alternativa explica las preferencias sexuales mediante un mecanismo de aprendizaje; un ejemplo de este enfoque es el aprendizaje por impronta propuesto por Konrad Lorenz. El presente experimento se propuso evaluar los efectos de diferentes prácticas de crianza temprana sobre las preferencias de pareja. Para este propósito, se seleccionaron 35 pollitos de codorniz, de 15 días de nacidos, y se dividieron en cuatro grupos: (1) un grupo de 9 pollitos machos criados cada uno en compañía de una hembra adulta de tres meses;(2) un grupo de 9 pollitos hembras criadas cada una en compañía de un macho adulto de tres meses; (3) un grupo de 9 pollitos machos criados en jaulas individuales y sin contacto visual con otros de su especie, y (4) un grupo de 8 pollitos hembras criadas en jaulas individuales y sin contacto visual con otros de su especie. Estas condiciones se mantuvieron por tres meses, al cabo de los cuales cada uno de los animales fue sometido a una prueba de preferencia de pareja y se midió el tiempo que el animal dedicaba a observar a una pareja potencial (la pareja con la que se había criado y una pareja distinta) en ensayos de 10 minutos, durante 10 días. Los resultados muestran que el 50 por ciento de los 18 pollitos que conformaron los grupos de machos y hembras criados en pareja, presentaron diferencias significativas (23 por ciento a favor de la pareja de crianza y 27 por ciento a favor de una pareja distinta); y de los 17 pollitos que conformaron los grupos de crianza individualizada, sólo el 12 por ciento del grupo de machos mostró diferencias significativas en sus preferencias de pareja. Al comparar las diferentes condiciones de crianza mediante un ANOVA de una vía se obtuvieron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ellas: F (7, 663) = 2,072, P

Current theories that attempt to explain mating preferences have placed particular emphasis on genetic determinants. They state that sexual preferences of females and sexual features of males evolve concurrently given the fact that male features are a reliable indicator of the presence of "good genes" which favor offspring survival. An alternative hypothesis explains mating preferences by means of a learning mechanism. An example of this approach is the theory of learning by imprinting proposed by Konrad Lorenz. This experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of different types of early breeding practices on later mating preferences. For this purpose, 35 quail chicks, 15 days old, were selected and split into four groups: (1) a group of 9 male chicks which were individually raised in the company of a mature three months old female; (2) a group of 9 female chicks which were individually raised in the company of a mature three months old male; (3) a group of 9 male chicks, which were raised alone in individual cages and without visual contact with other members of their species; and (4) a group of 8 female chicks which were raised alone in individual cages and without visual contact with others of their species. Subjects were exposed to these conditions for a period of three months. Later, each one of the animals underwent a mating preference test where the time that an animal spent observing a potential partner (the partner the chick had been raised with and a different partner) was measured during a 10minutes trial for10 days. Results show that 50 percent of the18 chicks that formed the groups of males and females raised in a pair fashion, presented significant differences in mating preferences (23 percent in favor of the breeding partner and 27 percent in favor of a different partner). But in the group of 17 chicks that were placed in the condition of individualized breeding, only 12 percent of the male chicks showed significant differences in their preference for a specific partner. When comparing the various rearing conditions by means of an ANOVA, significant differences were obtained between them: F (7, 663) = 2,072, P <0, 05. The results of this experiment suggest that rearing conditions have a differential effect on males and females in terms of mating preferences and seem to have a greater impact on females.

Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de programas de iluminação contínuo e intermitentes sobre a produção de codornas-japonesas (Coturnix japonica) criadas em galpão aberto, neste trabalho, realizado no Departamento de Zootecnia da Universidade Federal de Lavras MG, utilizaram-se 720 codornas de 36 semanas de idade, durante 5 períodos de 28 dias submetidas a 3 programas de luz em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso com restrições nos tratamentos e 12 repetições. O programa contínuo contou com fotoperíodo médio de 15h30 (natural + artificial) e noite principal (escotoperíodo) de 8h30 (± 12 min); o programa intermitente 1 contou com iluminação intermitente com duas fotofases fracionadas em 15h30 e com uma noite principal de 8h30 (± 12 min); o programa intermitente 2 teve iluminação intermitente com 3 fotofases em um período estimulatório de 15h30 (duas fotofases e duas escotofases eqüidistantes entre a luz natural) e escotoperíodo de 8h30. Avaliaram-se o consumo de ração (g/ave/dia), produção de ovos (ovos/ave/dia x 100), peso e massa dos ovos (g), conversão alimentar expressa por peso de ovo (g/g) e por dúzia de ovos e as médias foram comparadas pelo teste SNK (5%). Os resultados das aves nos diferentes programas apresentaram-se semelhante (P>0,05) para postura, peso, massa dos conversão/dúzia de ovos. As codornas no programa intermitente 1 apresentaram menor (P<0,05) consumo de ração e melhor (P<0,05) conversão alimentar/peso de ovos em relação às aves dos demais programas. O uso de programas de iluminação intermitente em codornas criadas em galpão aberto, a partir da 36ª semana de idade, reduz o tempo de iluminação artificial, sem afetar a produção de ovos, o peso, massa de ovos e conversão alimentar/dúzia de ovos; no entanto, o consumo de ração é reduzida e a conversão alimentar/peso de ovos é melhorada com o regime intermitente 1.

To evaluate the effect of continuous and intermittent lighting programms on the production and quality of eggs of quails (Coturnix coturnix) rearing in open shelter. The experiment was conducted at Animal Science Department of UFLA - Lavras MG - Brazil, with 720 quails 36 weeks of age, during 5 periods of 28 days each. They were submitted at completely randomized design with three light programs with restrictions in the treatments and 12 replications. The continuous program (medium photoperiod of 15:30 (natural + artificial) and main night (escotoperiod) of 8:30 (±12 min)); the intermittent one program (intermittent lighting with two fractional photophases in 15:30 and main night of 8:30 (±12 min)); the intermittent two programms had intermittent lighting with three photophases in a period stimulatory of 15:30 (two photophases and two halfway escotophases among the natural light) and escotoperíod of 8:30. The feed intake was evaluated (g/quail/day), egg production (egg/quail/day x 100), weigh and mass eggs (g), feed conversion expresses as egg weight (g/g) and for dozen of eggs. The means were compared in the SNK tests (5%). The results of the quails production in the different programms showed similar (P>0,05) for hatching, weight, mass of the feed conversion/dozen. The quails in the intermittent program one showed smaller (P<0,05) feed intake and better (P<0,05) feed conversion/weight eggs in relation to the quails in the others programms. The use of programms of intermittent lighting in quails rearing at open shelter, starting from to 36th week of age, it reduces the time of artificial lighting without affecting the egg production, weight eggs, mass eggs and feed conversion/dozen of eggs; however the feed intake was lower and the feed conversion/weight eggs was improved with the intermittent program one.

Two completely randomized trials were conducted to estimate protein requirements of Japanese quails during the rearing and laying periods. In each trial, 150 quails were distributed in five treatments with five repetitions. Crude protein levels in the rearing period were 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26% (Trial 1) and during the laying period were 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24% (Trial 2). A quadratic effect of protein level was observed on weight gain from seven to 35 days (Trial 1). There were no effects of protein levels on feed intake and feed conversion. Protein levels in experimental diets during rearing had no effect on egg production up to 63 days. However, laying was delayed and variation in body weight was greater in quails fed lower protein levels. In Trial 2, a quadratic effect of protein levels was seen on egg production and feed conversion; and a linear effect was seen on mean egg weight and feed intake. Crude protein levels of 23.08% and 21.95% were estimated by regression equations for rearing and laying, respectively.