Effects of Peganum harmala L. extract applied in different doses to hatching quail eggs on microbial load, hatching results, day-old chick quality and some behavioral parameters

In this study, the effects of varying concentrations of Peganum harmala L. plant extract applied to hatching quail eggs were investigated in terms of microbial load on the eggshell, incubation performance, daily chick quality, and certain behavioral parameters. A total of 520 quail eggs obtained from a family farm were used in the experiment. The experimental groups were established as follows: pure water as the control group (P1), ethanol (P2), 1% Peganum harmala extract (P3), and 5% Peganum harmala extract (P4). On the 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 14th days of the incubation period, 1 mL of the relevant solution was added to the water in the humidification chamber of each group. The total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMAB) load on the eggshells of each group was analyzed on day 0, day 2, and day 10. By the 10th day, the TMAB load was highest in the P1 group at 4.83±0.70 log CFU/egg, and lowest in the P4 group at 1.44±0.03 log CFU/egg. Regarding embryo mortality rates, the highest early-stage embryo mortality (EEM) was recorded in the P2 group at 12.50±0.01%, the highest mid-stage embryo mortality (MEM) in the P3 group at 8.91±0.15%, and the highest late-stage embryo mortality (LEM) also in the P3 group at 4.93±0.82%. The highest rate of discarded chicks was found in the P2 group at 2.62±0.01%. In terms of hatching power, the highest value was observed in the P4 group at 87.99±0.20%, while the lowest was in the P2 group at 64.81±0.17%. Hatchability was highest in the P4 group at 77.18±1.51%, and lowest in the P2 group at 57.87±0.01%.The highest values for Tona Score (99.62±0.02) and Pasgar Score (9.44±0.08) were also observed in the P4 group. In the open field test, the number of chicks that reached a foreign object was 5 in the P1 group and 4 in the P4 group, while no successful chicks were observed in the other groups. The fear (pist) scores were recorded as 4.30±2.26 for P1, 2.70±2.31 for P4, 1.80±1.61 for P3, and 1.00±0.01 for P2, respectively. As a result, the use of 5% Peganum harmala L. plant extract for the disinfection of hatching quail eggs was found to reduce microbial load on the eggshell, increase hatching power and hatchability, improve chick quality, and demonstrate a stress- and fear-reducing effect in chicks as indicated by the open field and fear tests. Key Words: Antioxidant, Cumin, Histology, Peganum harmala L., Performance