Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVII, Issue 2
Written by Osman OLGUN, Gözde KILINÇ, Esra Tuğçe GÜL, Fatih GÖKMEN, Alpönder YILDIZ, Veli UYGUR, Behlül SEVIM, Ainhoa SARMIENTO-GARCIA
This research investigated the impact of different concentrations of manganese hydroxychloride (MnH) on productive performance, egg quality, antioxidant status, tibia characteristics, and mineral excretion in laying quails. A total of 125 female ten-week-old female quails, were divided into five groups with five subgroups, each containing five quails. The birds were fed isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets with different levels of MnH (containing 55 g/100 g Mn) at 18.86 mg/kg (basal diet), 40, 60, 80, and 100 mg/kg for twelve weeks. Results indicated that MnH supplementation enhanced egg production and feed intake (P < 0.05) compared to the non-supplemented group. The optimal eggshell quality, including shell-breaking strength, thickness, and weight, was observed at 80 mg/kg MnH (P<0.01) compared to the basal diet. Regarding the antioxidant capacity in the yolk, the yolk's 2,2- diphenyl- 1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) value increased significantly (P<0.01) with 100 mg/kg MnH supplementation, while malondialdehyde (MDA) values remained unaffected across all groups. Increasing dietary MnH levels elevated Mn excretion in faeces and reduced copper levels (P<0.01). However, MnH addition adversely affected tibia biomechanical properties compared to the basal diet (P<0.01), with no significant impact on tibia mineral accumulation (P>0.05). These results suggest that including 80 mg/kg MnH in laying quail diets would be adequate to improve certain aspects of production and eggshell quality, although its impact on bone parameters requires further investigation.
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