International Journal of Life Science and Agriculture Research

This study was carried out to ascertain the influence of fortifying sorghum, which replaces maize, with turmeric and garlic on the attainment of sexual maturity and temperature indices in quails. Nine hundred and sixty (960), one-week old unsexed Japanese quail chicks were used in the study which lasted for a period of sixteen (16) weeks. The birds were randomly assigned in a completely randomized design into 16 different dietary groups of sixty (60) birds per group and each was sub-divided into three (3) replicates of twenty (20) birds each with a factorial arrangement. The groups consisted of two basal diets: Maize diet as positive control (Ma) and Sorghum diet (T1). To fortify the sorghum-based diet, turmeric and garlic meals were combined at five (5) different levels of 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 %, and three (3) (0, 0.50 and 1.00%) levels, respectively, hence making a total of 15 combination groups (1 + 3 x 5). Body and rectal temperatures were measured weekly. In females, the onset of puberty was assessed as the first day of egg production and female calling while in males, the first day of foam production from the cloacal gland and crowing were indicated as the onset of puberty. The mean body and rectal temperatures ranged between 38º – 41°C and 40º – 43°C, respectively. The onset of puberty was accelerated in females on the positive control (Maize) earlier compared to those on the negative control (Sorghum) by one day. Foam production was initiated earlier in male quails fed Maize (positive control) than those fed sorghum (negative control) by 3 (three) days whereas, at levels of 0.50 – 1.00%, garlic, and turmeric supplementation synergistically affected foam production in male Japanese quails. Results revealed that supplementation of garlic and turmeric did not affect the onset of puberty and sexual maturity in females. From our findings, the temperature obtained indicated that the birds had normal body temperature and were not under heat stress conditions while onset of puberty was accelerated in females on the positive control (Maize) earlier compared to those on the negative control (Sorghum) by one day. Initiation of puberty in female Japanese quails on T10 (G0.50T1.00), T11 (G1.00T0), T12 (G1.00T0.25), T13 (G1.00T0.50) and T15 (G1.00T1.00) was similar to that of control (Maize), whereas puberty was delayed by 1 (one) to 4 (four) days in quails on other treatments. Japanese quails on T10, T12 and T15 had their onset of foam production hastened when compared with maize based diet (positive control). Sexual maturity in Japanese quails was enhanced by sorghum diets – T11 and T13 and was similar to the maize diet.  Hence, substituting maize for sorghum and fortifying it with turmeric and garlic did not show any adverse effect on temperature and sexual maturity of quails and can be incorporated in quail diet.

Quails, maize, sorghum, body temperature, sexual maturity

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