Productive and reproductive performance of Japanes quail as affected by time of feed in hot climat

Abstract EN

A total number of two hundred and forty unsexed one-day old chicks of Japanese quail were used to study the effect of feeding time management on the productive and reproductive performance of birds under subtropical prevailing environmental conditions in Assiut.

All chicks were housed in batteries in 3 equal groups (3 replicates of 20 • birds each).

All experimental birds were supplied with clean water all the time.

The feed was offered twice daily, control group (C) was practiced at 0900 and 1500 h, during the warmest time of the day.

While, the first treatment group (Tl) was fed at 1500 and 2100 h; the second treatment group (T2) was fed at 2100 and 0300 h and the third treatment group (T3) was fed at 0300 and 0900 h, during the temperate climatic conditions, in order to avoid the deleterious effect of the high temperature on the birds in the summer season under Upper Egypt conditions.

The obtained results indicated that change of feeding time affected body weight performance, egg production, egg quality, fertility & hatchability, body temperature, mortality rate and economical efficiency in Japanese quail, however no significant differences in percentages of egg components were found among all groups.