IMPACT OF LAYER QUAIL DIET SUPPLEMENTATION WITH QUERCETIN AND OAK LEAVES AND EGG STORAGE ON HATCHABILITY AND ANTIOXIDANT STATUS OF NEWLY HATCHED QUAIL
The current study aims to investigate the impacts of layer quail treatment with quercetin and oak leaves, and egg storage periods on egg quality traits, fertility and hatchability traits, embryonic mortality, and antioxidant status of the newly hatched quails. A total of 1398 quail eggs were used in this study. The study was performed as a 3 x 2 factorial experiment including the effect of maternal treatment factor by supplementation of quercetin and oak leaves, and the effect of egg storage period (7 and 14 days). The eggs were distributed into 2 groups, each group with five replicates. The first group of eggs was stored for 14 days before incubation, while the second group of eggs was stored for 7 days pre-incubation at standard temperature (12-14 °C) and relative humidity (75-85 %), all eggs distributed according to quail diets with dietary quercetin and oak leaves, and the egg storage period, then eggs were inserted into an incubator for hatching, to determine their impacts on fertility and hatchability traits of eggs, lost egg weights, hatched chicks weight, and embryonic mortality, additionally the antioxidant status of recently hatchling chicks. Egg weight, shell weight, shell thickness, albumin index, Haugh unit, hatched chick weight, fertility %, hatchability from total and fertile eggs, unfertile egg, total mortality and malondialdehyde (MDA) improved (P≤0.05) significantly due to dietary supplementation of quercetin an oak leaves when compared with control. Egg weight, yolk index, yolk weight, and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were affected after the storage period which decline significantly for the storage period- 14 days compared to the storage period- 7 days. The storage periods were not to have any significant influence on shell weight, shell thickness, shape index, Haugh unit, albumin index, albumin weight, hatched chick weight, lost egg weight, fertility and hatchability traits, total mortality, serum glutathione (GSH) and MDA. It can be concluded from this study that the positive effects of a decline in embryonic mortality, a decrease in unfertile eggs, and an increase in hatchability, fertility, and weights of hatched chicks resulted from the effects of quercetin and oak leaves on each of the quail’s maternal diet and on embryo development due to improvement of serum antioxidant status.
quercetin, oak leaves, egg storage, hatchability and antioxidant status