1Vice Chancellor- Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai-51.
2Department of Poultry Science, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai-7
3Centre for Animal Production Studies, TANUVAS, Madhavaram Milk Colony, Chennai-51
4Department of Livestock Production and Management, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai-7
5Institute of Poultry Production and Management, Madhavaram Milk Colony, Chennai-51.
Department of Poultry Science, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai - 600 007 (T.N.)
*Corresponding author: email - muruganemails@gmail.com
Online published on 28 September, 2012.
An experiment was carried out to assess and arrive at the optimum dietary calcium and phosphorous levels for Japanese quail breeder diet. Nandanam Quail -3 strain breeder quail were reared from 0-day to 30 weeks of age and in this experiment 22, 18 and 21 per cent dietary protein with 2750, 2650 and 2700 kcal metabolizable energy per kg diet during brooding, growing and breeding were employed. Two levels of 3.0 and 3.3 per cent dietary calcium and three levels of 0.35, 0.40 and 0.45 per cent available phosphorous in the breeder diet were studied in a 2 x 3 factorial design. Even though, hen day egg production was not found to be affected by the different dietary calcium and phosphorous levels in the breeder diet, feed efficiency and per cent hatchability parameters were found to be in favour of 3.0/0.45 and 3.0/0.40 per cent dietary calcium/available phosphorous levels. Considering the economic parameters, feed cost to produce 100 hatching eggs and 100 chicks was found to favour 3.0/0.45 per cent dietary calcium and available phosphorous in Japanese quail breeder diets to optimize the cost of production per chick.
Dietary calcium and phosphorus, breeder quail, humid tropics
