ABSTRACT Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of rosemary oil (RO) and trace mineral sources (MS) on the internal quality and lipid stability of brown layer eggs. The treatments consisted of diets supplemented with two trace mineral sources (inorganic or organic) and three levels (0, 100, or 200 mg kg-1) of rosemary oil (RO), and three egg storage times. Eggs were stored at a controlled temperature (CT; 25.0ºC) in Experiment I and under refrigeration (RT; 5.0ºC) in Experiment II. The following parameters were analyzed on days 0 (fresh), 15 and 30 of storage: malonaldehyde level (MDA), egg weight (EW), Haugh unit (HU), yolk index (YI), albumen and yolk pH, raw yolk color (RYC), and egg weight loss. Data were analyzed according to completely randomized design in a 2x3x3 factorial arrangement (MS x RO x storage time). In Experiment I, there was an interaction between treatments for EW, HU and ALBp. Dietary OTM inclusion improved the results for all analyzed variables. The addition of 200 mg kg-1 RO reduced MDA and increased HU, YI and RYC. In experiment II, 200 mg kg-1 of RO in the diet improved HU. The internal quality of eggs stored both at CT and under RT is adversely affected by increasing storage periods, but this effect can be minimized by the dietary supplementation of OTM and 200 mg kg-1 rosemary oil. The lipid stability of eggs stored at CT improves with the supplementation of OTM and 200 mg kg-1 rosemary oil, but not of eggs stored under refrigeration.

The influence of age (85, 140, and 270 days) of European quails breeders on the egg quality and hatching, fertility and progeny performance was evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3x3 factorial arrangement (females' age x males' age), with ten replicates and six birds per experimental unit (four females and two males). Egg production and quality were determined during 3 periods of 14 days and incubation parameters were evaluated in eggs obtained in five consecutive days. The live performance of the progenies was analyzed until 35 days. There was no effect of male age or any interaction between the age of males and females for the evaluated variable. The female's age influenced egg production, egg weight and chick weight, with better results obtained for 140-d-old breeders. The age of females reduced the hatchability, increased the late mortality in incubated eggs, and had no effect on fertility, total embryo mortality or eggshell structure, when analyzed by electron microscopy. The number of sperm trapped in the outer perivitelline layer (sptz/mm²) was determined in 10 fertile eggs per experimental unit. Young females fertilized by young males (80 days) had reduced sptz/mm². Progeny live performance was not affected by breeder's age. Breeders with 270 days retain fertility; however, their egg production, weight and hatchability of fertilized eggs is reduced. In conclusion, European quail breeders with 140 days of age have better egg quality, hatching and breeding results.

Egg- and meat-type quails were reared in groups of different sizes with a fixed female-to-male ratio of 2 to 1 and an area of 158 cm² per bird. The aim was to investigate the influence of group size on quail production and reproductive variables. To this end, 360 quails (180 meat and 180 egg-type quails) were assigned in a completely randomized experimental design to one of three treatments with ten replicates each. The treatments consisted of groups with nine, six, or three quails per cage. Birds were observed for three cycles of 14 days. Daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were influenced (p < 0.05) by group size in both types of quails. Quail type influenced (p < 0.05) daily feed intake, feed conversion, and egg weight due to the typical differences between meat and egg-type birds. Despite the observed differences in production parameters, the mean values observed were typical of meat- and egg-type quails. The number of hydrolysis points (holes) per mm² on the vitelline membrane on the germinal disc area was higher in meat quails (2.89 ± 0.21) than in egg quails (2.15 ± 0.13). This parameter was not influenced by the number of birds per cage, which suggests that the number of males inside the cage did not modify the spermatozoa pool inside the female oviduct. We concluded that a ratio of two females per male in cages with three, six, and nine birds/cage is recommended, as no deleterious effect on quail reproduction was observed.

This study aimed at evaluating the influence of Glutamine (Gln) and Vitamin E (VE) supplementation on the performance and immune response of broilers. A completely randomizes experimental design with a 2 x 3 (VE x Gln) factorial arrangement was used. VE was supplemented at 10 and 500 mg/kg feed, with or without Gln (1%) addition, and two periods of supplementation in the starter diets (1-7 and 1-14 days of age), with five replicates of 50 birds each. The analyzed parameters were: live performance (weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio); relative weights of the spleen, bursa, and thymus; antibody titers (with sheep red blood cells suspension - SRBC) and cutaneous basophilic hypersensivity (CBH). Data were submitted to the analysis of variance, and means were compared using the test of Tukey. Treatments did not influence (P>0.05) live performance parameters or antibody titers. VE reduced (P=0.01) CBH, with the level of 10 mg VE/kg allowing higher cell proliferation as compared to 500 mg VE/kg. As to lymphoid organs, only the spleen was affected (P=0.035) by Gln, which resulted in higher spleen relative weight when fed during the first week of age. Results showed that 10 mg VE/kg with Gln (1-7 days) promoted better immune responses.