Inclusão de ora-pro-nobis (Pereskia aculeata Mill.) na alimentação de codornas (Coturnix coturnix japonica) como substituição do farelo de soja

Abstract

The coturniculture (activity of raising quail) is expanding in the poultry sector due to it’s low labor requirement, low investment cost, besides it’s easy management. Furthermore, the birds for posture have precocity of production, resulting in a fast economic return. The poultry feeding consists of formulated feed from corn and soybean, energetic, and proteined contents respectively. However, there is a great value variation of the feed in behalf of the seasonality and instability of the ingredients production. Alternative feeds studies appears as promising alternatives in order to guarantee the poultry food stability. This present work aims to evaluate the effect of the different levels of ora-pro-nobis wholemeal flour as a source in Japanese quail feeding, replacing soybean bran. A total of 160 birds were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with five treatments (0, 5, 10, 15, 20% of ora-pro-nobis replacement) containing four replicates of 8 birds, for 28 days of evaluations. The levels of soybean feed replacement by ora-pro-nobis did not affect live weight, egg production, egg mass, feed conversion per egg mass, excreta moisture, percentage of egg shell or height and diameter of eggs. Feed consumption had a quadratic effect in response to the different doses of ora-pro-nobis, in which the lowest consumption occurred with a 3.06% substitution. The weight of the excreta increased with the elevation of the substitution. Egg weight had a linear reduction, but remained within commercial standards. The substitution of 20% of ora-pro-nobis resulted in greater pigmentation of the gem.