The possibilities of combined use of canola and sunflower meals in quail diets

The study was performed to investigate the possibilities of using canola meal (CM) and sunflower meal (SM) in combination (CS) in quail diets. This study was carried out in two different experiments at the Animal Research Center of Afyon Kocatepe University. The experiment of meat-type quail of this research was conducted to determine the effects of canola meal and sunflower meal in combination supplementation in diets on performance and some carcass quality traits. A total of 300 three-day-old Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica), including both males and females were divided into one control group and four treatment groups containing 60 quail. Each group was divided into five replicate groups each containing 12 quails. The control group was fed diet containing corn-soybean meal basis without CS. The CS was used at level of 10% (CS10), 20% (CS20), 30% (CS30), and 40% (CS40) in treatment diets (in each treatment C and S ratio is 1:1). The experimental period was lasted for 5 weeks. The results of the study showed that there were no changes in terms of body weight, body weight gain and feed intake as well as weights and yields of carcass, relative weight of liver, heart, spleen, gizzard and proventriculus in all experimental groups with CS supplementation (p>0,05). Feed conversion ratio improved in the CS10 and CS20 groups compared with the control and the other groups (p<0,001). The experiment of egg-type quail of this research was conducted to determine the effects of canola meal and sunflower meal in combination supplementation in diets on performance and some egg quality traits. A total of 192 (128 females and 64 males) eight-week-old Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) divided into one control group and three treatment groups containing 48 quails. Each group was divided into four replicate groups each containing 12 quails. The control group was fed diet containing corn-soybean meal basis without CS. The CS was used at level of 10% (CS10), 20% (CS20), and 30% (CS30) in treatment diets (in each treatment C and S ratio is 1:1). The experimental period was lasted for 8 weeks. The results showed that egg production decreased in the CS20 and CS30 groups compared with the control and CS10 groups (p<0,05). Feed conversion ratio impaired in the CS30 group compared with the control and the other groups (p<0,05). Dietary CS supplementation did not affect initial and final body weights, feed intake, egg weight, shape index, shell thickness, albumen index, yolk index, Haugh unit and yolk color index (p>0,05). All these findings showed that, the supplementation of up to 40% of canola-sunflower meal (C:S, 1:1) in combination to diets had no any adverse effect on the performance and some carcass quality traits in meat-type quails, while supplementation of 5% canola meal and 5% sunflower meal in combination to diets had no any adverse effect on the performance and some egg quality traits in egg-type quail.