Betaine supplementation to adequate nutrient diet does not affect the growth performance of quails divergently selected based on bodyweight

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to determine the effect of body weight clustering and betaine supplementation to adequate nutrient diet on the growth performance of quails. Nine hundred seven-day-old quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were allotted to a 3×2 factorial completely randomized design. Three bodyweight clusters included Random (21.1±1.2 g), Low (17.9±0.4 g), and High (22.4±0.4 g). Each bodyweight cluster was fed a diet without (0%) and with betaine supplementation (0.14%), resulting in six combination treatments. Each treatment consisted of five replicates of 30 quails. The basal diet was formulated with sufficient protein (22%) and metabolizable energy (2800 kcal/kg). The observed variables included feed intake, body weight, feed conversion, and protein and energy efficiency ratio. The results revealed that there was no interaction between body weight and betaine supplementation on all variables. The High body weight group consumed more feed and produced a higher body weight on 42 days of age than other treatments (p<0.05). However, betaine supplementation did not affect all growth trait variables. In conclusion, betaine supplementation to nutrient adequate diet is not effective in improving growth performance of quails divergently selected based on body weight.