Effect of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) oil on performance, egg quality, some biochemical values and hatchability in laying quails

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of myrtle (Mytrus communis L.) oil when added to the diet of laying quails on performance, egg quality, some biochemical values and hatchability. A total of 375 quails (250 females and 125 males; Coturnix coturnix japonica), aged eight weeks old, were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments (five replicates of ten females and five males). The birds were fed either a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with myrtle oil at a dose of 500, 1000, 2000 or 5000 mg/kg feed. The experiment was conducted for eight weeks. At the end of the experiment, no significant differences were found among the groups in terms of initial live weight, feed consumption, egg weight, egg quality (fracture strength, haugh unit, shape index, yolk index, albumen index), serum biochemical values, hatchability, early embryonic death, late embryonic death and submembranous death. After 8 weeks, egg production was decreased (p< 0.01), whereas feed conversion rate (FCR) was increased (p< 0.05) in birds with a diet supplementation with myrtle oil doses of 5000 mg/kg. Eggshell thickness was decreased (p< 0.05) of groups receiving myrtle oil doses of 2000 and 5000 mg/kg. Yolk color index was affected positively by addition of myrtle oil (p< 0.001). Hatch performance was highest of the groups with diet supplemented with mytrle oil doses of 1000 mg/kg, whereas it was lowest of the groups received 5000 mg/kg mytrle oil (p< 0.01). The addition of myrtle oil to the diets caused significantly decrease in serum total cholesterol (p< 0.01), Ca (p< 0.01) and Malondialdehyde (MDA; p< 0.001) while determined significantly increase in blood urea (p< 0.001) and serum beta-carotene (p< 0.001) concentrations. Serum creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) was increased (p< 0.001) a dose of 5000 mg/kg, whereas albumin concentration decreased (p< 0.01). Egg yolk MDA concentration was decreased (p< 0.01) in all groups that received myrtle oil supplementation in their diets on days 15th and 30rd of storage (p< 0.001). In conclusion, mytrle oil supplementation was changed laying performance and biochemical values in laying quails depending on supplemented quantity and duration. It is recommended to supplement diets with 1000 mg/kg mytrle oil as egg production, egg quality, yolk MDA concentrations and hatching parameters were taken into consideration.