Response of Growing Japanese Quails to Different Types of Some Medicinal Seed Oils as Enhancing Additives

This experimental study was examined to investigate the impact of some medicinal plant oil seeds on the performance, carcass and some biochemical parameters of Japanese quail chicks. A total of 450 one-week-old unsexed chicks were divided into five groups, each consisting of 90 birds (three replicates of 30 birds each), in a random and equitable manner. All quails were kept in cages brooder equipped with raised wire bottoms and placed in a temperature-controlled room until 7 weeks old. All five groups were fed a basal diet without or added with 1 ml of black seed oil, sesame seed oil, radish seed oil and a mixture of them contained 1/3 ml of each previous oil/kg diet, respectively. The results revealed that all different oil additives increased body weight and weight gain, but realized an insignificant increase in feed intake and improved feed conversation ratio compared to control. However, black oil seed realized the highest dressing%, but no significant differences were detected in giblets, edible parts and offals in different oil diets comparable to the control. Also a significant increase in creatinine and insignificant decrease in plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides and ALT (alanine transaminase) concentrations compared to the control. There were improvements in G-S-transferase, Cat, Lpo and TAC due to the tested oils compared to the control group. In conclusion, all medicinal plant oils that were used, especially black seed and sesame seed oils, improved and enhanced growth and some physiological responses, which are reflected in the productive performance of Japanese quail.