EVALUATION OF SPIRULINA ALGAE (SPIRULINA PLATENSIS) AS A FEED SUPPLEMENT FOR JAPANESE QUAIL: NUTIRITIONAL EFFECTS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, EGG PRODUCTION, EGG QUALITY, BLOOD METABOLITES, SPERM-EGG PENETRATION AND FERTILITY

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional impacts of Spirulina platensis supplementation in the feed and drinking water of the Japanese quail during the growing and laying periods. One-hundred-twenty Japanese quails (14 days old) were housed in twelve battery cages, which were randomly corresponded to three treatments: a basal mash diet (BMD) (control group), a BMD plus 1% Spirulina platensis, and a BMD plus 0.25% of Spirulina in the drinking water. The growth performance was evaluated between the 2nd and 6th week of age, then the egg production parameters and fertility rates were investigated during the following seven weeks. The Spirulina powder used in this study had 95.40% dry matter, 54.70% crude protein, 2.58% ether extract, and 1.58% crude fiber. During the growing period, the results showed that the birds provided with Spirulina powder at 1% in the feed (T1) and at 0.25% in the drinking water (T2) had higher (P<0.05) body weight (BW) and body weight gain (BWG) values than those of the control group. The total FI of T1 was higher (P<0.05) than those of the control and T2 (505.1 vs. 515.6 and 504.9 g). Besides, both of Spirulina treatments had better feed conversion ratios than that of the control group (3.3 and 3.3 versus 3.6 feed: gain). During the laying period, the Spirulina supplementation in feed or in water did not show significant (P≥0.05) effects on the egg laying rate, egg weight, daily egg mass, feed intake, feed conversion (g feed: g egg) as compared with the control group. Finally, the birds supplemented with Spirulina treatments had lesser serum cholesterol and free fatty acid levels, and displayed higher fertility values (P<0.05) than that of the control group. In conclusion, the addition of Spirulina to the feed and/ or to the drinking water of the Japanese quail had beneficial effects on growth performance and fertility, while it did not show any significant (P≥0.05) impact on the egg production, egg quality, or dressing percentage.