Scrutinizing of a Liquid Prebiotic on Growth Performance and Internal Organs of Japanese Quail

Abstract

An experiment has been conducted to evaluate the effects of a liquid prebiotic (LP) on the carcass, digestive tract, and productive traits of Japanese quail. Eighty 7-day-old Japanese quails were randomly divided into 2 treatments. Each treatment consisted of 4 replicates (pens) of 10 birds each. The first treatment (control) contained a standard recommended diet with no added prebiotic. The second treatment was similar to the first diet accompanied by LP in the drinking water (0.5 milliliter LP per liter of water through the entire study). Feed and water were offered <em>ad libitum </em>from days 7 to 42. Feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured weekly. Utilization of LP did not have a significant effect on the relative weight of internal organs and carcass. The mortality rate was not influenced by treatments. In overall, the FI of birds receiving LP was significantly decreased, while BWG was considerably increased as compared to the control group. Consequently, overall FCR was dramatically improved.