EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURES ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF JAPANESE QUAIL

Document Type : Research articles.

Authors

1 Poultry Dept., Fac. of Agric., Cairo Univ., Fayoum Branch.

2 Animal Production Research Institute. Dokki, Giza Egypt.

Abstract

A total number of five hundred and forty sexed Japanese quail birds
were used to study the effect of different environmental temperature on the
physiological performance. Birds were assigned randomly into four equal
groups, each group containing 135 birds in nine replicates of 15 birds each
(5 males +10 females), in laying batteries. The four groups were raised at
different temperatures (20, 25, 30 and 35
C). The birds were fed diet
containing 19.5% CP and 2852 Kcal ME/Kg diet. Blood samples were
collected from 5 birds (2 males and 3 females) at slaughter during the
periods of sexual maturity, peak of egg production and at the end of egg
production phase. Hemoglobin, packed cell volume, Red blood cells
(RBCs), White blood cells
(WBCs) and lymphocyte were significantly
decreased (P<0.05) under heat stress at beginning, peak and end of egg
production. Heat stress significantly (P<0.05) increased heterophil cells and
H/L at the beginning, peak and end of egg production. Eosinophils,
basophil and monocyte were not affected by heat stress. Heat stress
resulted in significantly (P< 0.05) decrease total plasma protein, albumin
and globulin at the beginning, peak and end of egg production. Serum
phosphorus and calcium levels were decreased due to the effect of heat
stress. Heat stress resulted in significantly (P< 0.05) increase plasma
triiodothyronine (T
3) level, but it decreased the plasma tetra-iodothyronine
(T
4) level at the beginning, peak, and end of egg production. Significant
effect of the temperature stress was noticed on thyroid gland and adrenal
gland of the exposed groups of Japanese quail. The effect was remarkable
mainly on size of the organs than the morphological characters.


Keywords