Effects of chito-oligosaccharides and L-carnitine supplementation in diets for Japanese quails on performance, carcass traits and some blood parameters

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine effects of dietary supplementation with chitosanoligosaccharides (COS) and L-carnitine, individually or dually, on growth performance, carcass traits and some blood serum parameters in quails. A total of 192, four days old, Japanese quail chicks were allotted four groups, each of which included four replicates (12 birds per replicate). The groups received the same basal diet supplemented with 0 (Control), 150mg/kg chitosanoligosaccharides (COS), 150mg/kg L-carnitine (Carnitine), and 150 mg/kg chitosanoligosaccharides+150 mg/kg L-carnitine (COS+Car.) during the starter (1 to 21 days) and a grower (22 to 42 days) period. The feeding trial shoved that COS, L-carnitine and COS+L-carnitine had no significant effect on live weight, live weight gain, feed consumption and feed conversion. Supplementation with COS+L-carnitine induced higher leg ratio from than that of the Control. There were no differences on serum albumin, total protein, glucose and total cholesterol concentrations. It is concluded that due to the obtained higher leg ratio from COS+Car. group, after analysis of the profit and loss, if is economically profitable, chitosanoligosaccharides+L-carnitine could be added quail diets.

Keywords

• quail
• chitosanoligosaccharides
• L-carnitine
• growth performance
• carcass traits
• blood parameters