quail

This experiment was performed to investigate the effect of reduced phosphorus levels on performance, production efficiency index and protein digestibility of Japanese quail fed wheat-based diets supplemented with phytase and xylanase. For this purpose, 704 fourteen-day-old female Japanese quail were randomly divided into eight treatments with four replicates and each replicate containing 22 chicks. Experimental treatments were performed by diets containing two levels of phosphorus (0.30% and 0.14%), two levels of phytase (0 and 0.01%), and two levels of xylanase (0 and 0.05%) in completely randomized design with the factorial arrangement (2×2×2). The results showed that in the whole period of experiment, birds fed diets of 0.3% phosphorus, 0.01 phytase and 0.05 xylanase had a greater weight gain and feed intake (P≤0.05). The treatment had no effect on feed conversion ratio, mortality rate and production index. Birds fed diets containing 0.30% phosphorus with xylanase compare to phytase had highest digestibility of protein (P≤0.05). Finally, it can be concluded that the simultaneous use of phytase and xylanase enzymes in wheat-based diets containing phosphorus at the required level (0.30%) can have favorable effects on the performance, including feed intake, weight gain and protein digestibility in Japanese quails.

In order to investigate the effect of vitamin E and vitamin E nanoliposomes on the expression of the  STAR gene in testis and TSPO gene in the ovary of Japanese quail, an experiment using 864 pieces of quail for 10 weeks in a completely randomized design with six treatments, six replications and 24 Breeding quail (16 females and eight males) was performed in each replication. The treatments were fed diets containing different levels of vitamin E (25, 50 and 100 IU per kg of diet) and vitamin E nanoliposomes (25, 50 and 100 IU per kg of diet). The results of this study showed that the effect of the experimental treatments on the expression of TSPO gene in the ovary and STAR gene in the testis was significant (P<0.05). The addition of 50 IU of vitamin E significantly increased TSPO gene expression in the ovary compared to the control treatment (P<0.05). The results also showed that the level of 25 IU nanoliposome of vitamin E increased the expression of TSPO gene in the ovary, which was not significantly different from the control treatment. The use of vitamin E and vitamin E nanoliposome levels significantly decreased the expression of STAR gene in the testis of Japanese quail (P<0.05). According to the results of this study, the addition of 25 IU vitamin E nanoliposomes as well as 50 and 100 IU levels of vitamin E has a significant effect on the expression of TSPO gene in the ovary, which is one of the genes affecting fertility and reproduction.

 Applying the appropriate statistical method to genome wide association studies (GWAS (is one of the major factors influencing the identify chromosome regions effect of quantitative traits. The single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP) approach, a quite common procedure in GWAS, has the advantage of simultaneously using the phenotypes of genotyped and non-genotyped animals, pedigrees, and genotypes; therefore, there is no need to calculate pseudo-phenotypes. It has been reported that the use of ssGBLUP procedure increased the accuracy of genetic evaluation in many contexts and species compared with pedigree-based BLUP. However, the ssGBLUP assumes that all SNPs explain the same amount of genetic variance, which is unlikely in the case of traits whose major genes or QTL are segregating. The weighted single-step genome wide association studies (WssGWAS) approach allows the use of different weights for each SNP according to their trait-relevant importance and improves the accuracy of genetic evaluation and the precision of estimates of SNP effects. Thus, The aim of the present study was to compare the explained genetic variance from multi-step Bayes B (MS-BayesB) method in the different values of π with weighted single-step genome wide association study (WssGWAS (method related to some economically important traits in 920 Japanese quails.

 For each bird, a total of three traits including body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded and by using Illumnia iSelect 4K Japanese quail SNP Bead chip. For associations between traits and effective SNPs using the GenSel and BLUPF90 family software. The effects of markers and the genomic estimated breeding values of the traits were obtained by five iterations of WssGWAS. The proportion of additive genetic variance (agv) for each of 1.5-Mb genomic window (adjacent SNPs) was used to identify informative genomic regions and candidate genes, accounting for more than 1% of the agv. Also, to estimate SNP marker effects, the Bayes-B method was used (Meuwissen et al., 2009) with set π 0.90, 0.95, 0.99 The Bayes-B method assumes that some proportion (π) of SNP markers has zero effects. The posterior distributions of the parameters and effects were obtained using Gibbs sampling. We performed a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation of 41,000 rounds with Gibbs sampling, of which the first 1000 iterations were discarded as burn-in. To estimate posterior means and variances of marker effects, Metropolis–Hastings samples were run for 10 iterations. The QTL windows were identified and located for candidate genes using the Coturnix_japonica_2.0 assembly. DAVID v6.8 Functional Annotation Tool (Huang et al. 2009) was used for gene ontology (GO) enrichment in order to detect biological terms associated with genomic regions and gene networks identified in the analysis. Enrichment analysis of gene function was performed using implementation of the Bonferroni test of overrepresentation.

These unknown genotype individuals can supply additional information to improve the statistical power of QTL detection. Sample size can influence the power of GWAS. In general, the results showed that the Bayes A method performed better in explained additive genetic variance compared to BayesB method with π=90. A total of 15 significant windows over 1% explained genetic variance on 10 chromosomes were found for the BWG and explained 23.1% of agv. For FI, we identified 14 informative windows across 9 chromosomes, and explained 28.3% of the agv. Also, for the FCR, 12 significant windows were identified on 9 chromosomes and explained 27.4% of agv. The detected candidate genes in genomic regions played an important role in muscle development, feed intake and residual feed intake. Results of this study showed that use single-step Bayesian methods of phenotype, genotype and pedigree information simultaneously, had outperform in comparison than other multi-step BayesB method. Moreover, considering the identification of new genome regions and the key role of the mentioned genes in development of body weight and feed efficiency, the WssGWAS method can be validated for GWAS for economic traits in Japanese quail.

 In the present study, we identified a wide range of genomic regions associated with body weight gain and feed efficiency traits. The findings of this study provide an important foundation for future fine-mapping studies to more precisely elucidate the mutations affecting production traits in Japanese quail. Future studies should establish causative links between candidate variants and economically important phenotypes using functional analyses.

Food additives are a group of different substances that are used for different purposes in poultry diets. Antibiotics are a group of food additives that have been used for many years in the poultry industry to improve performance. Numerous studies have shown that the use of antibiotics in poultry diets, although slightly improved performance; however, long-term use of antibiotics causes bacterial resistance and endangers human health. Therefore, today, due to the limitations of the use of antibiotics, the use of natural alternatives such as medicinal plants has been considered. Medicinal plants as a natural feed additive in poultry diets have been effective in improving performance, improving the immune response, maintaining bird health, and reducing the effects of oxidative spoilage. Turmeric is one of the medicinal plants used in poultry diets. Turmeric, due to its curcumin, can improve the antioxidant and immune status of poultry. Another medicinal plant is red pepper. Red pepper has been suggested as a beneficial factor due to its active ingredients such as capsaicin, vitamins A, E, C, and B, minerals, and carotenoids. Red pepper is effective on the immune system of poultry. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of adding turmeric powder and red pepper in corn-based diets on the performance of growing quails.

The experiment was performed for 35 days using 512 day-old Japanese quails (as hatched), in a completely randomized design with eight treatments (three levels of turmeric (0.75, 1.5, and 2.25 %), three levels of red pepper powder (0.75, 1.5, and 2.25 %), an antibiotic treatment (500 ppm) and a control treatment without additive with four replicates and 16 birds in each replicate. Nutritional requirements of quails were extracted from NRC. Live weight and feed intake were measured weekly. To calculate the feed conversion ratio, first, the amounts of feed intake and daily weight gain during the experimental period were determined, and then the value of the feed conversion ratio was calculated by dividing the feed intake by weight gain. At 35 days of age, two male and two female birds from each treatment were numbered and slaughtered and carcass weight, thigh weight, and chest weight were measured. Carcass yield was then calculated by dividing carcass weight to live weight. Evaluation of the immune system of quails was assessed by measuring the weight of the thymus gland and bursa of Fabricius and blood immunoglobulin in terms of antibodies produced against Newcastle virus (HI test).

The results of this experiment showed that at the age of 35 days, quails receiving experimental diets had a higher live weight than the control group (P<0.05). The effect of treatments on feed intake was significant (P<0.05). Adding turmeric and red pepper throughout the experiment reduced feed intake compared with the control group. FCR was significantly affected by experimental diets during the whole experiment period (P<0.01), and quails received 0.75% turmeric powder (2.18) and quails received 1.50% turmeric powder (2.16) had a significantly lower FCR than the control treatment (2.69). Contrary to red pepper, adding turmeric powder improved the FCR of quails (P<0.01). Curcumin in turmeric has a positive effect on bile production, secretion of gastrointestinal enzymes (amylase and lipase), increases the length of intestinal villi, and increases digestion and absorption of nutrients in birds. Some studies have reported the effectiveness of red pepper on digestive enzymes, and performance has been improved in various species. Capsaicin (the main active ingredient in red pepper) has increased the activity of amylase, lipase, and trypsin enzymes in the duodenum. The levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL and HDL, VLDL, and total serum antioxidants (TAC) significantly affected experimental diets (P<0.05). The triglycerides of quails received 2.25% red pepper powder (152 mg/dL) was lower than the control group (261 mg/dL). The reason for lowering blood triglycerides would be the presence of capsaicin in red pepper, which reduces the activity of glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase, thereby reducing fat synthesis.

Based on the results of the present study, feeding 1.5 % turmeric powder or 2.25% chili pepper powder is recommended to improve the performance, blood parameters, and immune response of growing quails.

The effect of Betaplus probiotic in the diet on growth performance and histomorphometry of Japanese quail jejunum was investigated by using 288 broiler chicks with 6 treatments, 4 replications and 12 birds per each in a completely randomized design from 1 to 42 days of age. The experimental treatments included: control group (without additives); three diets containing levels of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/kg of Betaplus probiotic; diet with deficient in protein, and diet with deficient in protein and contained 1 g/kg of Betaplus. Feed intake, and body weight gain were measured weekly and feed conversion ratio was calculated. At 42 days of age, two birds were randomly selected from each replicate and the traits related to carcass dissection were assessed. For histomorphometrical evaluation of the intestine, the jejunum samples were collected. The utility of Betaplus probiotic at level 1 g/kg improved food intake, weight gain, conversion factor and some histomorphometrical parameters of jejunum (P< 0.05). In birds were fed with level of 1.5 g/kg Betaplus, the villi thickness and crypt diameter and number of the goblet cells were decreased (P< 0.05). According to the results, the use of Betaplus probiotic at level 1 g/kg in the diet improves the growth performance and histological parameters of the jejunum in Japanese quail.

Growth and reproductive traits are well-known characteristics of living organisms because of their direct relationship with economic benefits. Genetic description of the growth curve and the correlation of its parameters with growth and reproductive traits can be useful in determining selection strategies. For this purpose, 2035 quail data, which were collected during the years 1398-1396 in the Agricultural Research and Training Center and Natural Resources of Khorasan Razavi, were used. To identify the fixed factors affecting the traits, the linear model of GLM procedure of SAS software was used and to estimate the parameters of the growth curve, the nonlinear regression model of Gampertz was used. Genetic components variance (co) of growth curve and reproduction traits was estimated using maximum likelihood multi-trait analysis by DMU software. Heritability of body weight at 35 days (BW35), asymptotic weight (a), maturity rate (k), age at inflection point (IPT), absolute growth rate (AGR), relative growth rate (RGR), number of eggs (EN) and fertility percentage (FR) were estimated respectively 0.222, 0.238, 0.416, 0.283, 168 to be 0.22, 0.222, 0.283 and 0.071. Growth curve parameters with AGR and RGR and BW35 days had high genetic correlations (0.434 - 0.924). The strongest correlation was obtained between IPT and RGR (0.924). Except for genetic correlations between EN and FR percentage with other traits, most of the genetic correlations were positive. Based on this results, management of environmental factors are effective in increasing growth and reproductive performance, and genetic selection for growth trait using growth curve parameters can improve the genetic potential of the animals.

The biological effects of aromatase inhibitors in humans and some animals have been studied in several types of research. This study was performed to investigate the effects of two aromatase inhibitors: Letrozole, a synthetic aromatase inhibitor, and Aphrodite, a blend of the medicinal plant containing natural aromatase inhibitor, on blood, reproductive parameters, and also testis and epididymis morphology in male quails. The experiment was conducted with 120 male quails from the age of three weeks in a completely randomized design with three treatments, five replicates, and eight birds in each replicate. Experimental birds in the treatments received distilled water, Aphrodite (100 μL) or letrozole (0.03 mg), via oral gavage. Administration of Aphrodite and letrozole significantly increased the body weight and feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). Feed intake was significantly increased in the Aphrodite received group (P<0.05). Elevated relative weight concurrent with a lowered number of sperm in the testis was also recorded in both Aphrodit and letrozole-treated birds. Serum levels of phosphorus, albumin, total protein, estrogen, and testosterone were not affected by the experimental treatments, but consumption of Aphrodite and letrozole improved sperm viability, acrosome, and membrane integrity (P<0.05). The result showed that application of Letrozole, and Aphrodite, improved production performance and reproductive parameters, such as body weight, feed conversion ratio, sperm viability, and acrosome and membrane integrity in experimental male quails. Letrozole did not reveal any negative effects on the examined parameters and organs and could be considered as a candidate to apply in the breeding programs.The result shows that application of Letrozole and Aphrodite improved productive performance and reproductive parameters, such as body weight, feed conversion ratio, sperm viability, and acrosome and membrane integrity in experimental male quails. Letrozole did not revealed any negative effects on the examined parameters and could be considered as a candidate to apply in the birds breeding programs

In the present research the effect of different levels of chromium picolinate on performance, egg quality and some blood metabolite of laying Japanese quail at late phase of production were evaluated. Six hundered quails were allocated to 5 treatments with 4 replicates of 30 birds per replicates in a completely randomized design arrangement with repeated measurement. The experimental treatments  was consist 1) basal diet, 2)basal diet + 0.4 mg/kg chromium picolinate, 3) basal diet + 0.8 mg/kg chromium picolinate 4) basal diet + 1.2 mg/kg chromium picolinate 5) basal diet + 1.6 mg/kg chromium picolinate. Performance and egg quality traits measured four times along the experiment and analysed by repeated measurement proc. Result of this experiment showed that egg production and feed conversion ratio was affected by different experimental treatment, and quails with 1.4 mg/kg dietary chromium showed optimum performance. Dietary chromium had significant (P<0.05) effect on egg weight along the experiment and time affect the egg weight significantly. Dietary chromium had no significant (P>0.05) effect on egg quality traits such as yolk, white, shell weight, Haugh unit, shell tickness and shell weight. Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, AST and AST was not affected by different chromium addition to basal diet. It can be concluded that inclusion of 1.4 and 1.6 mg/kg chromium to basal diet had some beneficial effect on egg production, feed conversion ratio and egg weight in laying Japanese quail.

Many of blood serum biochemical parameters are associated with resistance to disease, meat quality and performance traits, and can be useful in determining animal health status. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of strain and sex on growth traits and blood serum biochemical parameters of quail. For this purpose, a number of one-day-old chicks from each quail strain (125 Wild, 159 Italian speckled, 58 Scarlet, 56 Tuxedo, 81 English white, 92 A and M Texas and 57 White Button), were used. The chicks were weighed weekly until 42 day of age. At 35 day of age, 10 birds (5 male and 5 female) were slaughtered from each strain, and their blood serum was separated. The evaluation of blood serum biochemical parameters including total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, uric acid, calcium, phosphorus, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes parameters was conducted using autoanalyzer apparatus. The growth traits and blood serum biochemical parameters data were analyzed and compared with R comuter software among strains and sex levels. The effect of sex on body weight at 42 day of age, body weight gain in sixth weeks, calcium, globulin and AST enzyme was significant and strain had a significant effect on all growth traits, cholesterol, triglyceride and phosphorus (P <0.05). All growth traits and blood serum biochemical parameters (with the exception of uric acid and AST enzyme concentrations) were higher in female quails than those of males.