Protein and energy levels for laying Japanese quails

The experiment was conduced to determine the protein and energy levels, for laying Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica), in four experimental periods of 28 days each. Six hundred females quails with 45 days of aged and average initial weight of 138.0g were used. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, in 3x5 factorial scheme, with three levels of energy (2,850,2,950 and 3.050 kcal of ME/kg) and five protein levels (16, 18, 20, 22 and 24% CP), with four replications of 10 animals each replications. The variables studied were: laying (%), egg weight (g), egg mass (g of eggs/quail/day), feed intake (g), feed: gain ratio (g of diet/g of eggs and g of ratio/dozen of eggs. final weight (g), shell egg percentage (%), and uric acid level in the blood serum (mg/dL). The answers of egg production quail performance, respecting the statistical adjustment obtained by means of the quadratic and linear regression models, and the biological interpretation, showed that, to obtain the best productive performance, the quails diets should contain the levels of 2,850 kcal of ME/kg of rations and 22.42% CP, corresponding to 6.02 g of protein intake by bird/day.