RESPONSE OF GROWING AND LAYING JAPANESE QUAILS (Coturnix coturnix japonica) FED DIETARY GRADED LEVELS OF FERMENTED CASSAVA(Manihot esculenta) PEEL MEAL

Abstract

ABSTRACT A two phase research work was conducted in a period of 12 weeks to determine the effect of feeding varying levels of fermented cassava (Manihot esculenta) peel meal on the growth performance and egg production of Japanese quails using 300 two week old growing quails with an initial mean body weight of 27.67 g of both sexes. The birds were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments with 75 birds per treatment. Each replicated thrice; designated T1, T2, T3 and T4 containing 0, 25, 50 and 75 % of fermented cassava peel meal (FCPM) as a replacement for dietary maize respectively. The parameters measured in the first 6 weeks (growing phase) were feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, nutrient digestibility and carcass characteristics. The results showed significant (P<0.05) difference in daily feed intake, while daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio showed no significant (P>0.05) difference among the treatment means. There were significant (P<0.05) differences in the nutrient digestibility among the treatment groups. A total of 120 female quails were allotted to 4 dietary treatment with 30 birds per treatment, replicated thrice and were fed with layers diet with same level of replacement ( laying phase). The parameters measured at the laying phase were daily feed intake, hen- day production, hen- house production and egg quality traits (Egg weight, egg length, egg width, egg shape index, yolk weight, yolk width, shell thickness, yolk index, Haugh unit, yolk height, albumen height and albumen weight). The results showed that there were no significant (P>0.05) differences in the daily feed intake, hen-day production, hen-housed production and in all the egg quality traits. It was concluded that dietary maize could be replaced with FCPM up to 50 % without any deleterious effect on growth performance while FCPM up to 75 % can be used to replace maize in the feed of laying Japanese quails without any deleterious effect on egg production and egg quality trait of quails.