The impact on various growth parameters of Japanese quail of substituting some local grass pea seeds for soybean meal.

Abstract

This experiment was conducted in the poultry field of the research station at the College of Agriculture and the Marshes of Thi-Qar University from 1/11/2021 to 1/4/2022 to determine the effect of replacement different levels of grass pea seeds instead of soybean meal in the diet, and their effect on the growth parameters of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix). 216 Japanese quail birds 45 days old were used, distributed randomly to four experimental treatments and three replicates (18 birds/replicate). The treatments were as follows: T1: control transaction; T2: The birds were fed a diet containing 20% soybean meal with 10% local grass pea seeds; T3: The birds were fed a diet containing 10% soybean with 20% local grass pea seeds; T4: The birds were fed a diet containing 30% local grass pea seeds. The results of the study indicated that feeding quails on diets containing 20% local grass pea seeds did not differ significantly from the control treatment in some growth parameters (body weight, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion factor) for Japanese quail. Increasing the concentration of succulent plants to 30% in the ration led to a significant deterioration in the growth characteristics. Keywords: local grass pea, soybean meal, growth parameters, Japanese quail.