Selection Environment Influences on Feed and Water Intake of Japanese Quail Following Long-Term Selection for 4-Week Body Weight

Four trials were conducted to investigate feed and water intake of three Japanese quail lines reared under different nutritional environments. The P-line quail were established by long-term selection for high 4-week body weight on a 28% protein diet, T-line quail were similarly established on a 20% protein diet containing .2% thiouracil (TU), and C-line quail were from a randomly mated control population maintained under a separate environment from the P and T lines. Through 6 days of age feed intake of T-line quail under the 28% protein environment was significantly higher than feed intake of P-line quail. This difference did not exist from 6 to 14 days of age. Feed intake of T-line quail under 20% protein environments was always numerically higher than feed intake of P-line quail. Water intake of T-line quail was higher than water intake of P-line quail under all environments. The P-line quail tended to have higher feed efficiencies regardless of environment. The ability of quail selected under a 20% protein + .2% TU environment to perform well when placed under a 28% protein environment, was primarily due to increases in feed and water intake rather than changes in feed efficiency. Conversely, the poor performance of quail selected under a 28% protein environment when placed under, a 20% protein + .2% TU environment was due to their inability to maintain adequate feed intake.