Document Type : Articles

Authors

Animal Resource Dept., Agriculture College, Salahaddin University/Erbil, Iraq.

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a dietary supplementation with two levels of powdered flax seed and the impact of different quails' lines and the influence of diet × line on the productive performance, and some hematological traits. A total of 162 laying quail in three lines of color as white (W); black (B); and yellowish brown (Y) were randomly distributed into three treatment groups with three replicates/treatment/line T0: control (standard diet); T1 and T2 were standard diet supplemented with 3% and 6% flax seed powder (FSP), respectively. The results upon the overall period of rearing showed that: both FI (g/bird/d) and FCR (g feed: g egg) were the lowest in T1 group than both T2 and T0 groups. HDEP (%) and egg mass (g/ hen/d) of T1 group were significantly higher than other groups. Hematological results explain that T1 group owned significantly higher RBC and HCT (%) than both control and T2 groups. Genetic distance results showed that genetic similarity values range between 0.795 to 0.800. According to the UPGMA dendogram test  the white line was the most distant than other two lines genetically. Genetic variation refers to the good genetic resources in the local quail. This study is one of the few studies on determining the effect of interaction between diet and line in the local quail in Kurdistan Region of Iraq, also it represents the first study in Erbil province that depending on the use of RAPD - PCR as a tool to genetic diversity for local quail. Generally, can be concluded and recommended that using 3% flaxseed powder has satisfactorily impacts on performance and health in different local quails' lines.
 

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