Effect of Different Vegetable Oil Sources on Performance, Intestinal Histomorphometry, and Physiological Responses of Japanese Quails

This study evaluated the effects of different plant-based lipid sources on the performance, serum biochemical profile, meat physical traits, body temperature, and intestinal histomorphometry of Japanese quails during the rearing phase. A total of 400 Japanese quails were assigned to a completely randomized design with five dietary treatments consisting of soybean, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, or canola oil included at 25 g/kg, with ten replicates of eight birds each. Quails fed diets containing cottonseed, sunflower, or canola oil exhibited lower feed conversion ratios compared with those fed corn oil (p<0.01), without affecting body or surface temperature, meat quality traits, or serum biochemical parameters (p>0.05). In addition, birds receiving cottonseed oil showed a higher villus-to-crypt ratio in the ileum (p<0.01). Dietary inclusion of cottonseed oil at 25 g/kg improved feed efficiency and intestinal morphology in Japanese quails during the rearing phase, without inducing adverse changes in serum biochemical indicators related to lipid metabolism.