Flock uniformity and survival, and efficiency of raising Texas white quails using a feed supplement of plant origin

Abstract

Raising quails in peasant farm enterprises is aimed at obtaining high-quality and cost-effective products. The use of feed supplements of plant origin that enrich quail diets with protein, energy, major and minor nutrients, and possess pronounced hepatoprotective, antioxidant and antitoxic properties is topical. The research goal was to determine the efficiency of raising Texas White quails for meat using the feed supplement of plant origin “Bioherm” in the in peasant farm enterprise KFKh Berstenev V.A. The science-based economic experiment was carried out for 45 days in groups of 50 quail chicks with an average live weight of 9.5 g at one-day age. The feed supplement of plant origin obtained by cold pressing of wheat germ was added to the main diet in the amount of 3% during the entire fattening period. In the trial group, the average live weight of quails was by 7.96% more than that of the control group; the live weight variation coefficient was by 3.03% less; and the flock uniformity with 5% live weight deviation from the average values was by 12.1% higher. The survival rate of quails in the trial group increased by 4.16% as compared to the control values and amounted to 96%. The feed costs per units of live weight gain in quails showed that the trial group quails used feed more efficiently with 13.82% reduction in the amount of compound feed. The European Production Efficiency Factor of quail meat production in the trial group was the highest - 29.01 units, by 6.82 units higher than in the control; the economic effect of using the feed supplement was confirmed by a 10 ruble reduction of feed cost per kg of live weight gain. The conducted studies show the effectiveness of using the feed supplement “Bioherm” in the amount of 3% instead of the main diet of Texas white quails.