摘要
There are several reports on the utilisation of Moringa oleifera in poultry diets due to its essential bioactive compounds yet,little is known about its influence on Japanese quail eggs and meat qualities.Hence,the need to examine performance,eggs and meat qualities of Japanese quail hens fed M.oleifera leaf.To achieve this,240 Japanese quail chicks were allocated to three dietary treatments:D1:control,0.0%(without M.oleifera leaf meal),D2:(0.5%M.oleifera leaf meal)and D3:(1%M.oleifera leaf meal).Data on performance,carcass,organs,eggs and meat qualities were collected and subjected to ANOVA at 0.05.Results revealed that feed consumption was lowest(2,701g)in D1 and highest(2,800g)in D2,carcass weight varied from 100-100.67g,thigh weight(12.66-13.58g)and breast weight was highest(40.41g)in D3.Liver weight was lowest(3.25g)in D1,kidney was largest(0.91g)in D3 whereas,the heart,gizzard and spleen weights ranged from 1.00-1.16g,3.08-3.50g and 0.04-0.08g,respectively.In the eggs,crude protein(10.94%),crude fat(6.71%),ash(1.36%),high-density lipoprotein(96.12mg/100g)and low-density lipoprotein(120.67mg/100g)were highest in D1.Total cholesterol(364.08mg/100g)and triglycerides(147.27mg/100g)were least in D1 and the caloric value varied from 1.46-1.47kcal/g.In the meat,crude protein(17.14%)and energy value(1.96kcal/g)were best in D2 but,crude fat(12.62%),ash(2.85%)and carbohydrates(1.31%)were superior in D3.In both eggs and meat,no crude fibre(0.0%)was detected.In any case,all the parameter values were within the normal ranges given in healthy Japanese quails at similar age.Consequently,addition of M.oleifera leaf meal at 1.0%to Japanese quail diets might not depress performance,affect carcass quality,cause organs dysfunctions but may improve nutritional quality of the eggs and meat.
