Farelo de algodão na dieta de codornas japonesas

The objective of this study was to evaluate different levels of inclusion of cottonseed meal in the diet of Japanese quail. Twenty Japanese quails were used in a completely randomized design consisting of five treatments and six replicates, with eight quails per replicate. The treatments used were: basal diet with 0% cottonseed meal; inclusion of 4% cottonseed meal, 8% cottonseed meal, 12% cottonseed meal, and 16% cottonseed meal. Feed intake per egg mass (kg/dz), feed conversion per egg mass (kg/kg), viability of birds, and weight gain were evaluated. The egg quality variables were: egg weight (g), yolk weight (g), eggshell weight (g) albumen weight, percentage of yolk, eggshell and albumen, and specific gravity (g/cm3). Cottonseed meal in the diet influenced (P 0.05). Cottonseed meal can be added to the diet of Japanese quail without compromising performance or egg quality.