Impact of heat stress on blood physiological parameters, body temperature, respiratory frequency, antioxidant status, carcass quality, production performance, and egg quality of Japanese quails

Abstract

The study was performed with three experiments. The first experiment studied respiratory rate (RR), body temperature (BT), blood physiological parameters (BPP), serum antioxidant enzyme activities (SAEA), and meat quality of 240 quails under three temperatures (38 °C, 25 °C, and environmental temperature 30 °C) and two bodyweights (heavy and lighter). Heat stress (HS) increased RR and BT of quails but had no effect on BPP; superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was decreased in group 38 °C (P0.05). The 38 °C – G1 quail groups adapted to HS from G0 by expanding feed intake at the growing phase, improving egg weight and egg production, and maintaining the low SAEA.