Growth performance and nutrients digestibility of Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica) fed diets containing raw and processed pigeon pea seed meal based diets with enzyme (Vegpro) supplementation

Abstract

A total of 720 one week old Japanese quail chicks were used to investigate the growth performance and apparent nutrient digestibility of the quail chicks fed diets containing raw and processed pigeon pea seed meal (PPSM) supplemented with enzyme (Vegpro(R)). They were randomly allotted to 8 dietary treatments groups with 3 replicates per treatment and 30 birds per replicate. Raw pigeon seed was processed separately by soaking for 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours, fermentation for 3 days, boiling for 60 minutes and roasting for 30 minutes and dried to become PPSM. Experimental diets were formulated using raw and the remaining 6 processed PPSM to contain 25 % crude protein with a control to constitute 8 dietary treatments. All the diets except the control were supplemented with enzymes at 0.1g/kg diet and fed the quails for 28 days. The results showed that processed PPSM supplemented with enzyme significantly (P<0.05) influenced the performance parameters measured across all the treatments. Birds on the diets T1 (134.83g), T2 (130.667g), T3 (129.43g) and T7 (130.33g) were comparable and significantly (P<0.05) higher in final live weight and average daily body weight gain than those in other treatments. Birds on T1 and T4 had significantly (P<0.05) lower average daily feed intake (11.73g and12.03g respectively), better feed to gain ratio (2.94 and 3.18 respectively) and feed cost per kg gain (N235.81 and N289.16 respectively). Birds on T5 had significantly (P<0.05) the highest age at first egg (34.67 days). First egg weights of birds fed PPSM diets supplemented with enzyme were comparable and significantly (P<0.05) higher than those on the control group (6.67g). Mortality was significantly (P<0.05) higher in birds fed T2, T3, T4 and T6 compared to other treatments. Dry matter (61.94 %), crude fibre (61.49 %), ether extract (78.41 %) and ash digestibility (80.63 %) were significantly (P<0.05) lower in birds on T3 compared to those in other treatments. However, the least crude protein (CP) digestibility was recorded in birds fed T2 (79.94 %) and T3 (77.62 %) while significantly (P<0.05) lower NFE digestibility was recorded in birds fed T3 (49.37 %) and T6 (49.30 %) compared to other treatments. It was therefore concluded that raw and processed PPSM diets with enzyme supplementation improved performance and nutrient digestibility of quail chicks without adverse effect.

Keywords: Growth performance, Japanese quails, pigeon pea seeds, digestibility, nutrients.