Reproductive Potentials of Female Japanese Quails to Administration of Egg-Lime-Molasses Mixture

Abstract

Japanese quails are hardy with huge potentials to bridge protein deficiency, hence the need for an assessment of their reproductive potentials. The egg-lime-molasses mixture (ELM) was prepared by placing 10 fresh chicken eggs (average weight of 58 g per egg) in a bowl, after which 1 liter of lime juice and 500 g of molasses were added, then it was covered and left for 10 days. The solution was then blended. Two hundred day-old Japanese quails were assigned to 5 treatments with 40 birds in a completely randomized design (CRD) and 4 replicates of 10 birds each. The control (T1) had no ELM, while treatments 2, 3, 4 and 5 (T2, T3, T4, and T5) had inclusions of 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% ELM in water, respectively. Data were collected on the morphometrics, egg characteristics, follicle stimulating, and leutenizing hormone concentrations. The findings revealed that at the early stage of laying, the administration of ELM did not have a significant effect (p > 0.05) on egg parameters. However, at the latter phase of egg laying, there was a significant effect (p < 0.05) on shell weight and albumen percentage. ELM did not have a significant effect     (p > 0.05) on the production performance. There was no significant effect (p < 0.05) on follicular characteristics, while birds administered 30ml ELM/500ml of water had the significantly highest (p < 0.05) weights of oviduct (1.01 ± 0.01 g) and ovary (3.995 ± 0.005 g). Birds administered higher levels of ELM had significantly higher concentrations (p < 0.05) of leutenizing and follicle stimulating hormones. The inclusion of aqueous administration of ELM in drinking water has no detrimental effect on the reproductive potentials of female Japanese quails.