Use of High Levels of Dietary Aluminum and Zinc for Inducing Pauses in Egg Production of Japanese Quail

The effect of using a high level of dietary aluminum (.3% Al, as aluminum sulfate) was compared with that of using dietary zinc (1.5% Zn as zinc oxide) for force molting Japanese quail hens. A basal diet (2.5% Ca and .35% available P) was fed alone or supplemented with Zn or Al for 7 days in Trial 1 and for 4 days in Trial 2. Light was maintained at 16 h light (L):8 h dark (D) in Trial 1 and reduced to 8L:16D during Days 1 to 14 in Trial 2. In Trial 1, feed intake averaged 23, 11, and 7 g/hen/day during Days 1 through 7 for the control, Al, and Zn treatments, respectively. Both the Al and Zn treatments significantly (P<.05) reduced body weight. In both trials, egg production approached 0% by Days 3 and 5 for hens in the Zn and Al treatments, respectively. In Trial 2, egg shell breaking strength was significantly (P<.05) reduced by dietary Al and Zn. Aluminum significantly reduced plasma inorganic P, measured on Day 5. In Trial 3, diets containing graded levels (0, .05, .10, or .15%) of Al were fed to Japanese quail hens for 28 days. Both .10% and .15% Al significantly (P<.05) reduced egg shell breaking strength during Days 8 through 12 and body weight at Day 28. Feeding .15% Al significantly reduced feed intake and egg production. Results demonstrated that high levels of dietary Al can negatively affect egg production of Japanese quail. If dietary Al is present in high enough amounts, it can induce pauses in egg production, possibly through its effect on feed intake, P metabolism, or both.