Effect of Feeding High Glucosinolate Rapeseed Meal to Laying Japanese Quail

Abstract

The laying performance of Japanese quails fed graded levels of high glucosinolate (92.5 μmole/g) rapeseed meal (RSM) was assessed. One hundred and twenty Japanese quails aged 1 day-old were assigned at random to four dietary treatments consisting of 0, 50, 75 or 100 g/kg RSM in the diet replacing part of the soybean meal and de-oiled rice bran in a standard quail ration. 12 female representative quails from each diet were selected at random and housed in individual cages from 7-20 wk of age. The egg production, feed intake and FCR was comparable among the different dietary groups. The egg quality characteristics, organoleptic evaluation of boiled eggs as well as the haematological (haemoglobin, total erythrocyte count, total leucocyte count) and biochemical (glucose, protein, cholesterol, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase and alkaline phosphatase) constituents did not differ significantly among the groups. The gross and histopathological studies of vital organs did not reveal any appreciable changes. The feed cost was reduced by the incorporation of RSM in the diet, but only the production cost of quails fed the 75 g/kg RSM was lower in comparison to other groups. In the present study, the laying potential of Japanese quail was well-maintained up to the 100g/kg dietary level of rapeseed meal.