Effects of Ascorbic Acid, Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) along with Various Bedding Materials on Japanese Quail Egg Quality Attributes
Narender Kumar Poonia *
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, RAJUVAS, Bikaner-334001, Rajasthan, India.
Vijay Kumar
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, RAJUVAS, Bikaner-334001, Rajasthan, India.
Garima Choudhary
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, RAJUVAS, Bikaner-334001, Rajasthan, India.
Arun Kumar Jhirwal
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, RAJUVAS, Bikaner-334001, Rajasthan, India.
Tara Bothra
Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, RAJUVAS, Bikaner-334001, Rajasthan, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The study investigated the effects of giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) and ascorbic acid supplementation along with different bedding materials (sand B1, saw dust B2 and wheat straw B3) on egg shell quality of Japanese quails. A total of 432 chicks (7 day-old) of Japanese quails were divided into three equal groups (144 each) for different bedding material used and each group was further subdivided into four groups (each of 36 chicks) on the basis of dietary treatment (control T0, giloy T1, ascorbic acid T2 and combination of both T3). The current study was carried out at the Poultry unit, Livestock Farm Complex, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Bikaner, for 24 weeks, from October 2020 to April 2021. As a result, the birds were evenly and randomly allocated into 12 treatment groups total, with 36 birds in each group. Each group was then further split into two replicates, each with 18 birds. The quails were given three different diets: a basal diet (control, T0), one supplemented with giloy 5 g/kg, another with ascorbic acid 240 mg/kg, and a combination of both in dietary treatment groups T1, T2, and T3, respectively. There was a highly significant (p<0.01) impact of adding nutrients and using different bedding materials on the Japanese quail's egg shell thickness and weight. Egg shell weight and thickness were greater in the sawdust bedding material group in the current experiment. It was discovered that there was no significant interaction on these features between nutritional supplements and various bedding materials.
Keywords: Ascorbic acid, giloy, japanese quail, egg shell thickness, egg shell weight, dietary supplementation, egg shell, livestock farm