Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar;29(3):1796-1800.
doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.10.046. Epub 2021 Oct 25.

The impact of different boron levels in diet on performance and eggshell quality of Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica)

Muhammet Ali Kara  1
Affiliations

The impact of different boron levels in diet on performance and eggshell quality of Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica)

Muhammet Ali Kara. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of different levels of boron supplementation on the performance and eggshell quality of 162 breeding quails at 7 weeks of age. For this purpose, 9 different diets with addition of 0, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 120, 160 and 240 mg/kg B were used. The experiment was designed at 9 different levels of B, as 3 replicates, on 27 subgroups in total. Each cage compartment was accepted as replicate and 4 female and 2 male quails were placed in each cage. Water and feed are provided as ad-libutum to the quails that are housed in battery-type cages and the lighting was applied continuously. The final body weight (FBW) of the quails, body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), egg production (EP%), egg mass (EM), feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg weight (EW), egg specific gravity (ESG), egg surface area (ESA), eggshell weight (ESW%), eggshell breaking strength (ESBS) values were measured. The effect of the addition of different levels of B to the rations on BW, BWG, FI, EP %, EM and FCR was not statically significant, while effects on EW (p < 0.01), ESG (p < 0.01), ESA (p < 0.05), ESR % (p < 0.01) and ESBS (p < 0.01) was found to be significant. As a result, the 20 mg/kg B addition to the rations was sufficient for a good eggshell quality and performance, and it was observed that higher doses had a negative effect on performance and shell quality in general.

Keywords: Boron; Eggshell quality; Performance; Ration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

References

    1. Abdelnour S.A., Abd El-Hack M.E., Swelum A.A., Perillo A., Losacco C. The vital roles of boron in animal health and production: a comprehensive review. Journal of Trace Elements Medicine and Biology. 2018;50:296–304. - PubMed
    1. Armstrong T.A. State University; USA: 2000. Evaluating of the role of boron in swine nutrition.
    1. Arslan K.H., Macit M. Yumurtlamanın son dönemindeki yumurtacı tavukların rasyonlarına bor (Ortoborikasit) ilavesinin yumurta kabuki kalitesive tibia biyomekaniği parametreleri ile serum, kabuki ve tibia mineral konsantrasyonları üzerine etkisi. Atatürk Üniversitesi Veteriner Bilimleri Dergisi. 2018;13(1):42–53.
    1. Ayasan T., Yurtseven S., Kutlu H.R., Baylan M. Effects of boric acid supplementation on egg production and quality of Japanese quails (Coturnixcoturnix japonica) Indian Journal of Animal Sciences. 2011;81(5):534–536.
    1. Chapin R.E., Ku W.W., Kenney M.A., McCoy H., Gladen B., Wine R.N., Wilson R., Elwell M.R. The effects of dietary boron on bone strength in rat. Fundamental Applied Toxicology. 1997;35:205–215. - PubMed