EFFECT OF INCLUSION DRIED YELLOW EARTHWORM MEAL (TENEBRIO MOLITOR) ON PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF JAPANESE QUAIL 1-REPLACEMENT OF BASAL DIET DURING THE GROWING PERIOD

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of partially replacement the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio Molitor, YMW) of Japanese quail basal diet on productive performance during 1-42 days of age. Three hundred and fifty unsexed one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to one of five food treatments (7 pens per treatment, 10 birds per pen) and reared on battery brooders in wire cages (55×50×35 cm) with individual feeders and drinks. A basal control diet (24 % crude protein, CP; 2970 Kcal/kg) was fed to the first group. The 2^nd, 3 ^rd, 4^th and 5^th treatments were supplied with YMW (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0%, respectively), replacing the basal diet. Throughout the experimental period quails were provided feed and water ad-libitum. The results indicated that the dry matter of YMW continued 61.5% CP and 21.19 % ether exact (EE). The content of essential amino and fatty acids of YMW as a percentage of CP and EE was higher than that content on the fish and soybean meal.  Replacement with 10.0% of YMW maximized both of body weight and gain and improvement the feed conversion ratio compared with control group.  Increasing the replacement percentage of YMW significantly increased the carcass, meat quality, and the content of some amino acids and saturated fatty acids. The inclusion of YMW, significantly decreased total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations and the high lipoprotein concentration, biochemical and immunity statues were significantly improved. In conclusion, replacing YMW up to 10.0% of the Japanese quail diet is acceptable and has no adverse effect on growth and productive performance and immunity states.