Phosphorus requirements of quail chicks for optimizing performance

Area of Science:

• Avian Nutrition and Physiology
• Animal Science
• Nutrient Metabolism

Background:

• Phosphorus is essential for Japanese quail chick growth and bone development.
• Accurate dietary phosphorus levels are vital for optimizing performance and minimizing environmental pollution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the dietary available phosphorus (AP) requirement for Japanese quail chicks aged 7 to 14 days.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for phosphorus supplementation in early quail nutrition.

Main Methods:

• A dose-response study was conducted with 375 Japanese quail chicks fed diets with graded levels of AP (0.15-0.35%).
• Performance parameters including body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were measured.
• Broken-line regression models were applied to analyze the data and estimate optimal AP requirements.

Main Results:

• Dietary AP significantly influenced growth performance and feed efficiency in quail chicks.
• Optimal AP requirements estimated from body weight gain ranged from 0.288% to 0.316%.
• Optimal AP requirements estimated from feed conversion ratio ranged from 0.282% to 0.331%.

Conclusions:

• The recommended dietary AP requirement for Japanese quail chicks (7-14 days) is approximately 0.28% to 0.33%.
• These findings support efficient early-stage quail growth and help mitigate phosphorus excretion into the environment.