INFLUENCE OF BREED ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, REPRODUCTIVE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF QUAILS

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of breed on growth performance, reproductive performance and carcass characteristics of quails. Two breeds (Cotonou × Japanese and Pure Japanese quails) were used. A total of 694 eggs comprising 349 from crossbred and 345 from Japanese quail were set for hatching in an automatic incubator to generate experimental birds. The hatched quail chicks were managed according to their breed using standard procedures until maturity. Each of the breed served as treatment with three replicates per breed arranged in Pair plot design. Data were collected on body weight; linear body measurements (body length, shank length, wing lengths and breast girth) and reproductive traits (fertility, early and late embryonic mortality, hatchability, reproductive capacity, age at first egg, body weight at first egg and weight of first egg) were recorded using the base population. Data collected were analyzed using T-Test of the SPSS statistical software version 21. The result obtained indicated that breed had no significant (P>0.05) effect on body weight and linear body measurements except on wing length at week 1, breast girth at week 2, breast length at week 3, wing length at week 3, shank length at week 4 and breast girth at week 5. Breed had no significant (P<0.05) in all the reproductive traits and carcass characteristics except on the late embryonic mortality and shank weight, respectively. From the findings of this study, it can be concluded that differences between the crossbred quails and pure line Japanese quails exists majorly on linear body measurements but no differences in terms of body weight, reproductive performance and carcass characteristics’ and any of the breeds is recommended for the aforementioned traits with few exception.