Effects of dietary sepiolite supplementation on quail performance

This research was carriedout to determine the effects of using sepiolite in quail rations on performance characteristics. A total of 90 7-day-old Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were used in the experiment. The experiment was carried out in 3 groups, 1 control and 2 trial, each consisting of 30 chicks. Each group was divided into 5 subgroups with 30 chicks. Sepiolite was added to the diets at the amount of 0, 0.5 and 1.0%. In this 28-day study, the addition of 0.5% and 1.0% sepiolite to the diets in the fattening period as topdressed did not create a statistically significant differences in body weight, live weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield. Relative weight percentages of liver, heart and gizzard were not significantly different among groups. As a result, the use of sepiolite in quail diets at the levels of 0.5 and 1.0 did not make a differences in terms of performance. Higher levels of sepiolite in the quail diets can be investigated.