Potential for use of interrupted heating regimes in Japanese quail rearing

The continuously increased price of energy sources and the serious ecological problems on a worldwide scale entail the development, and practical implementation of energy-saving poultry rearing technologies. One of possible alternatives with this regard is the utilization of interrupted heating regimens in poultry rearing. The purpose of the present study was to confirm the potential of interrupted heating regimens during day and night in Japanese quail rearing systems. The experiment was performed in the experimental vivarium of the Poultry breeding Section at the Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, in November-December 2008 with Japanese quails - Coturnix Japonica, from the meat-type Pharaoh breed. For heating were used 250 W infrared quartz lamps. The heating regimen consisted of constant temperature with gradual decrease according to the age - control group and alternation of heating and cooling periods with increased duration of cooling periods with age for experimental groups. The live body weight, the vitality, the feed and water consumptions were monitored. At the end of the experiment, a slaughter analysis of the meat production was performed. The experiment showed that the application of interrupted heating regimens during the first three weeks of life in Japanese quails, did not influence the vitality or the live body weight of birds at the age of 21 and 35 days. The tested factor did not influence the quantitative traits of produced meat. In the period between the 1st and 21st days of age, Japanese quails that were reared under interrupted heating regimens, have consumed by 2.3-5.4% less feed and by 3.4-5.1% less water on the average, whereas the feed conversion ratio was by 3.8-7.6% more efficient compared to quails reared at constant temperatures. Consequently to the application of interrupted heating regimens, the energy costs for heating of quails were reduced by 33.6-42% that, together with the lower feed expenditure and its better conversion, showed a potential for reduction of the total costs related to Japanese quail meat production by 28.7-36.5%.