Zinc in a combination with magnesium helps reducing negative effects of heat stress in quails

The objective of this study was to investigate whether zinc (Zn) along with magnesium (Mg) is effective in alleviating the negative effects of heat stress in Japanese quails. One hundred and twenty 10-day-old healthy Japanese quails were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, three replicates of ten birds each. The birds were fed either a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with either 30 mg of Zn/kg of diet, 600 mg of Mg/kg of diet, or 30 mg of Zn + 600 mg of Mg/kg of diet. The birds were kept under a high temperature (35 degrees C) for 8 h/day. Feed consumption was greatest with the combination of Zn and Mg supplementation (P < 0.01). Hot and chilled dressing percentages were greater (P < 0.05) with Zn- and Mg-supplemented diets. Concentrations of plasma malondialdehyde were lower (P < 0.01) with both Zn and Mg supplementations. Mg concentrations in the serum remained similar with either Zn or Mg supplements in the diet (P > 0.05). Serum glucose concentrations were lowest in birds fed the basal diet. Supplementing a combination of Zn and Mg may offer a potential protective management practice in preventing heat stress-related depression in performance of quails.