Effect of maca powder supplementation to growing quail diets on performance, carcass, serum constituents and hormones, and bone and ileum characteristics.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different levels of maca powder supplementation (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 g/kg) in the diet on performance, carcass characteristics, serum biochemical constituents and hormone concentrations, bone biomechanical properties, and ileum histomorphology in growing Japanese quails. In this 42-day trial, a total of 480 mixed sex Japanese quail chicks, aged 1 day, were randomly distributed among six experimental groups. Each experimental group contained four replicates of 20 chicks each. The addition of 2.0 g/kg of maca powder to the diet significantly decreased body weight, body weight gain compared to the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, with the 1.5 g/kg level of maca powder, feed efficiency improved considerably (P < 0.05). The testis weight increased significantly with the addition of maca powder at 1.0 g/kg level to the diet, and testesteron concentration of serum in male quails was also increased significantly at 1.5 g/kg level of maca powder compared to control group (P < 0.05). The addition of 2.5 g/kg level of maca powder significantly reduced the cholesterol concentration of serum in male quails compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The administration of 2.0 g/kg level of maca powder to the diet caused a decrease in shear force (P < 0.05). The addition of maca powder to the diet significantly increased crypt depth and villus surface area at 0.5 g/kg level, villus width at 1.0 g/kg level, and villus height at 2.0 g/kg level in growing quails (P < 0.05). According to the results obtained from the present research, it can be said that the addition up to 2.0 g/kg maca powder to growing quail diets could improve feed efficiency, testesteron concentration of serum, and ileum properties.

Use of Maca Powder (Lepidium meyenii) as Feed Additive in Diets of Laying Quails at Different Ages: Its Effect on Performance, Eggshell Quality, Serum, Ileum, and Bone Properties.

Using additives can reduce the negative effects of aging on factors affecting profitability, such as the availability of nutrients, production, and egg quality. Maca is an herbaceous plant rich in protein, crude oil, essential acids, and pharmacological compounds. Maca has positive effects on different health parameters. In this study, the effect of adding Maca powder to the diets of young and old laying quails at the end of the 10-week trial was investigated. In total, 150 laying Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) (209.1 ± 10.0 g) were randomly distributed to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with two ages (10 weeks and 30 weeks) and three Maca powder levels (0, 1, or 2 g/kg), with five subgroups per treatment. According to the study, eggshell quality, total cholesterol, triglyceride, progesterone, and testosterone concentrations of serum were lower in old quail than in young quail, while egg weight, feed intake, and follicle-stimulating hormone increased significantly as quail aged. (p < 0.05). Furthermore, aging negatively affected the histomorphology of the ileum and cortical bone thickness (p < 0.05). Additional findings show that adding 1 g/kg Maca powder to the diet of quail significantly improved eggshell, ileum, and bone traits that deteriorate with age, without affecting performance, and adding 2 g/kg Maca powder to the diet significantly reduced serum total cholesterol levels (p < 0.05). Incorporating Maca powder into the diet of aged birds could reduce the negative effects of aging.

Effect of Different Dietary Inclusion Levels of Sunflower Meal and Multi-Enzyme Supplementation on Performance, Meat Yield, Ileum Histomorphology, and Pancreatic Enzyme Activities in Growing Quails.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary sunflower meal (SFM) and multi-enzyme levels on performance, carcass traits, intestinal histomorphology and pancreatic enzyme production in quails. Three hundred and twenty, 1-day-old quail chicks were divided into 8 groups with 4 replicates consisting of 10 birds each in the group. The experiment was randomized design consisting of a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement, with four levels of SFM (0%, 10%, 15%, or 20%) and two levels of multi-enzyme (0.0 or 1.0 g/kg) inclusion in the diet. The body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were negatively influenced by the 15% and 20% SFM (p < 0.01) but were not affected by the 10% SFM for 6 week age. The relative gizzard (p < 0.05) weights significantly increased with 20% SFM, but the relative breast weight decreased (p < 0.01). The relative liver weight increased by the addition of enzymes in the diet (p < 0.05). The villus width (p < 0.01) and villus surface area (p < 0.05) of ileum increased linearly with SFM, whereas the villus height (p < 0.01), villus height: crypt depth (p < 0.01) and tunica muscularis thickness (p < 0.01) decreased linearly with SFM. Consequently, it is possible to say that the birds with the least absorptive same weight are the most efficient. The addition of multi-enzyme increased villus height and crypt depth but decreased tunica muscularis thickness of ileum (p < 0.01). Chymotrypsin activity in the pancreas decreased linearly with SFM (p < 0.01). Amylase activity in the pancreas decreased significantly with the addition of the multi-enzyme (p < 0.05). As a result of the study, SFM can be used at a 10% level in growing quail diets with beneficial effects on the absorption surface area. The effects of enzyme supplementation on parameters measured were less pronounced than the SFM inclusion level that higher villus height and lower tunica muscularis thickness were determined in multi-enzyme-fed birds compared to those untreated counterparts.