<strong>Egg quality of quails fed diets containing mannan oligosaccharides and reduced calcium levels</strong> - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v30i3.512

Abstract

. It was evaluated the effects of diets containing mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) and reduced calcium (Ca) levels on Japanese quail eggs quality. Two hundred quails, at 40 days of age, were used during three periods of 28 days each one. The experimental design was entirely randomized in factorial arrangement 2 x 2 + 1 (Ca x MOS levels and a control diet), with four replicates. The treatments were Ca (2.2 and 1.9%) and MOS (0 and 0.1%) levels and a control diet (with no MOS and with 2.5% Ca). It was studied the internal quality (weight and index of yolk and albumen and Haugh unit) and external (eggshell weight, Ca content, and thickness and specific gravity) of quail eggs. There was no effect (P>0.05) of the treatments on the weight and index of yolk and albumen, Haugh unit and eggshell weight and thickness. However, MOS inclusion increased (P<0.02) Ca content on the eggshell in 2.75% and the reduction of Ca levels decreased (P<0.01) the specific gravity of eggs from quails fed diets containing 1.9% of Ca. It was concluded that diets with 1.9% of Ca and supplemented with 0.1% of MOS can be used by Japanese quails with no negative effects on the internal and external quality of the eggs.