Studies on the sodium requirement of growing Japanese quail

The response of Japanese quail, fed a purified diet, to dietary increments of sodium chloride was studied. Birds fed the basal diet (0.042-0.051% sodium) displayed poor growth, high mortality, depressed plasma sodium levels, elevated blood hematocrit and increased relative adrenal gland weights. Growth plateaued and the other parameters reached normal values at a total dietary sodium level of approximately 0.10 percent.