Influence of in-ovo Feeding Bovine Serum Albumin or L-Glutamine to Japanese Quails on Hatchability, Performance of Hatched Chicks, Antioxidant Activity, Lymphoid Organs and Some Blood Biochemical Parameters

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the effects of in-ovo feeding (IOF) of L-glutamine and bovine serum albumin (BSA) on hatchability of Japanese quail breeder eggs, and the performance, antioxidant status, relative weight of lymphoid organs and some blood biochemical parameters in the new hatched chicks reared for 6 weeks. A total of 480 fertile eggs of Japanese quails (10 weeks old) were separated into four groups (3 replicates with 40 eggs each). The group T1 consisted of non-injected negative control eggs. Just before incubation, eggs of T2 group were subjected to IOF through injections in the air cell with 30ppm BSA. Eggs of T3 and T4 groups were injected with 15 and 30 ppm/egg L-glutamine (Gln), respectively. The results revealed that the highest hatchability (%) was recorded for eggs injected with Gln 30ppm. After six weeks of rearing, birds treated with IOF of BSA, Gln 15 or Gln 30ppm showed significantly (P<0.05) higher body weight, weight gain and better feed conversion ratio in comparison to the control group. Similarly, all treatments showed significantly higher (P<0.05) carcass yield than the control group, while none of the treatments had any negative effect on the bone, liver and kidney functions of Japanese quails. All treatments improved significantly (P<0.05) total antioxidants capacity (TAC), while in RBC lysates, all experimental groups had significantly higher SOD and GPx activities (P<0.05), than those in the control group. Moreover, all experimental treatments exhibited significantly (P<0.05) higher SOD and GPx activities in the breast muscles compared with the control group. Birds produced from eggs injected with Gln 15 or 30ppm showed higher relative weights of spleen, bursa and thymus compared to the control group. Treatment of BSA significantly (P<0.05) increased thymus relative weight, while the increase in both spleen and bursa relative weights was non-significant compared to control. In conclusion, Gln 30ppm appears to be the best IOF treatment in Japanese quails in terms of productive performance, antioxidants status and relative weights of spleen, bursa and thymus.