DIETARY HYDROPONIC WHEAT SPROUTS IMPROVE FEED EFFICIENCY AND EGG PRODUCTION IN LAYING JAPANESE QUAIL WITHOUT ALTERING EGG QUALITY

Abstract

Food security has become a major concern in recent decades, largely due to the growing competition between human and animal food needs. This challenge has prompted the search for alternative, affordable feed resources that do not compromise human food supplies. One promising approach is hydroponic cultivation, where grains and legumes are grown in water-based systems without soil. Hydroponically sprouted grains provide enhanced protein levels and improved bioavailability of both macro- and micronutrients, making them a valuable feed supplement. Their higher protein content, demonstrated in several studies, suggests that they could serve as a cost-effective replacement for expensive feed ingredients such as soybean. For this purpose, this study was performed to evaluate the effects of hydroponic wheat sprouts on the laying performance of Japanese quail. A total of 600 Japanese quails (510) hens and 90 males) at 8 weeks of age were randomly assigned to five treatment groups in a completely randomized design (CRD). Each treatment consisted of 6 replicates, with 17 hens and 3 males per replicate (20 birds. per cage). All treatments were provided a basal diet in a common feeder. In addition, Treatments 2, 3, 4, and 5 were offered fresh hydroponic wheat sprouts (HWS) in a separate feeder at respective inclusion levels of 5, 10, 15, and 20 g HWS per kg of total basal diet offered daily. The control group (Treatment 1) received only the basal diet without sprouts. The experiment lasted for 49 days. The current research found that feeding HWS to laying Japanese quail had a significant (p<0.05) impact on feed intake and FCR. However, the weight across all the treatments remained the same (p>0.05). Furthermore, it was evident that the supplemented groups showed more egg production than the control, and the highest egg collection was recorded in T5, where HWS levels were 20 g/kg of basal diet (p<0.05). The results of hatchability and fertility showed no significance compared to the control (p>0.05). Furthermore, egg morphology parameters such as egg weight, egg mass and egg shape index were not significantly different (p>0.05) from those of the control and showed no effects when supplemented with HWS. Eggshell quality, albumen and yolk quality were not affected by supplementation with HWS (p>0.05). In terms of HWS supplementation, the research studied limited parameters, and further research is needed to deeply explore the impact of supplementation on Japanese quails.