Research Information System
ANKARA UNIVERSITESI VETERINER FAKULTESI DERGISI, vol.58, no.1, pp.27-32, 2011 (SCI-Expanded)
This study was performed to investigate the effects of probiotic and prebiotic (mannanoligosaccharide) supplementation on performance, egg quality and hatchability in quail breeders. Four hundred and eighty, 18 wk old Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were evenly distributed to 5 groups with four replicates containing 24 (18 female, 6 male) quail in each. Quail were fed either basal diet (control group) or 0.5 and 1 kg/ton probiotic and prebiotic supplemented basal diets (treatment groups) for 12 weeks. The live weight of animals, egg production, feed consumption and egg weight were recorded, and feed efficiency was calculated. Egg quality, fertility and hatchability were also determined. Supplementation of 0.5 and 1 kg/ton prebiotic to diet increased the live weight (p <= 0.001) and egg production (p <= 0.01) respectively while 0.5 kg/ton probiotic increased egg production (p <= 0.01). Egg shell thickness was improved by both supplements (p <= 0.05). Neither probiotic nor prebiotic supplementation to the diets had significant effects on feed consumption, feed efficiency and egg weight, egg specific gravity, albumen index, yolk index, and Haugh unit. Probiotic and prebiotic supplementation slightly but not significantly increased percentage of fertile egg and hatchability. In conclusion, supplementation of probiotic and prebiotic (MOS) to the diet of quail breeders positively affected egg production and egg shell thickness.