Effect of adding different level of Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) powder to diet on productive performance and some physiological traits for female Quail

Abstract

Abstract This study was conducted at the Poultry Research Station, Animal Resources Research Department at the Agricultural Research Department / Ministry of Agriculture - Baghdad Abu Ghraib. To find the effect of adding different proportions of Bay Laurus powder on productive performance and some physiological characteristics of birds during the production stage as Eight Hundreds Female birds of quail were used at the age of 45 days, randomly deployed to 4 treatments with two replicates (100 birds / replicate ) each, and the bay laurel powder was added in the proportions 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% to the diets and for a period of 60 days divided into 4 periods of 15-day .The results indicated significant improvement in the productive performance of birds during different feeding periods. An improvement in egg production was evident on the base of H.D% for T2 and T4 treatments during the second, third and fourth periods of breeding. Also, the improvement was evident in the egg mass for T1 (control treatment) in the second and third periods and T3 during the fourth period. The T4 treatment continued its significant improvement during the second, third and fourth periods, the feed consumption decreased for all addition treatments in the fourth period and the food conversion ratio and the cumulative eggs number (egg, bird, period) where improved for the T4 treatment throughout the four trial periods. The level of total protein and globulin increased significantly in the fourth treatment, and the level of globulin for the second and fourth treatments increased compared to the rest of the treatments. We conclude from this study the possibility of adding 0.5-1.5 % feed of Bay laurel powder to the diet to obtain a positive improvement on the productive and physiological performance for female Quail bird.