Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ANKARA UNIVERSITESI VETERINER FAKULTESI DERGISI, cilt.65, sa.4, ss.413-418, 2018 (SCI-Expanded)
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary rosemary and fennel volatile oil supplementation on the laying performance and some egg quality parameters of quails. A total of 120 female Pharaoh quails used in the study were equally divided into three groups containing 40 quails (five replicates of 8 quails each). The study included a control group with no diet additives, and the treatment groups were as follows: 300 mg/kg rosemary volatile oil (Group 1) and 300 mg/kg fennel volatile oil (Group 2). The experiment was lasted 60 days. The feed consumption was significantly (p<0.05) decreased in treatment groups. At the end of the experiment, there was no significant difference in egg weight, egg mass, egg shape index and egg breaking strength between the control and treatment groups. The inclusion of 300 mg/kg rosemary and fennel volatile oil caused a significant (p<0.01) improve in feed efficiency and important (p<0.01) increase in egg production. Dietary fortification with rosemary and fennel volatile oil improved egg yolk colour and eggshell thickness compared to the control group (p<0.001). The Haugh unit was increased in treatment groups I and II compared to the control group (p<0.05). It can be concluded that diet inclusion of laying quails with rosemary and fennel volatile oil is beneficial in improving egg quality characteristics in terms of egg yolk colour, egg shell thickness and Haugh unit. Moreover, supplementation of rosemary and fennel volatile oil in the diets of quails may enhance the egg production. In the light of obtained data, It was concluded that rosemary and fennel volatile oil can be used as natural additives in order to improve the performance parameters in poultry rations.