SODIUM LEVELS FOR MEAT QUAILS FROM 1 TO 14 DAYS OF AGE

Abstract

A trial was carried out on Aviculture Sector of the Federal University of Viçosa. The objective of this present trial was to determinate the nutritional requirements of meat quails from one to fourteen days of age. Four hundred and twenty quails, one day old, were housed. The birds were distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments, seven replicates and twelve birds per experimental unit. The experimental diets consisted of increasing sodium levels: 0.10; 0.17; 0.24; 0.31 and 0.38%. The variables analyzed were feed intake (g/bird), weight gain (g/bird), final weight (g), feed conversion ratio (g/g), viabilitty (%) and sodium intake (g). The results were statistically analyzed using the SAEG UFV. The regression analysis was performed using the linear and quadratic effects to estimate the sodium requirements, considering the significance level, determination coefficient value, and the biological response of the birds. All of the variables analyzed from one to seven days old were not affected (P>0.05) by the diets, except sodium intake. In both phases, one to seven days old and one to fourteen days old sodium intake presented a linear increase (P<0.05). Body weight and weight gain presented linear decrease (P<0.05) from one to fourteen days old phase. In this phase high sodium level promoted performance reduction (P<0.05). The other variables analyzed on this phase were not influenced (P>0.05) by the treatments. The nutritional requirement of sodium for quails from one to fourteen days old is 0.10%.