Livestock Studies 1993, Vol 33, Num, 1-2     (Pages: 065-084)

Effect of Different Lighting Programs on Growth and Carcass Quality in Quails

İbrahim ÖZCAN 1 ,Halil AKÇAPINAR 2

1 Dr. Lalahan Hayvancılık Araştırma Enstitüsü, ANKARA
2 Prof. Dr. A. Ü. Veteriner Fakültesi Zootekni Anabilim Dalı. ANKARA
- The study was carried out to investigate the effects of various illumination periods (8, 16 and 23.5 hour/day) on growth, feed consumption, livability, feed conversion ratio, slaugther and carcass characteristics in quails. A verage live weight findings at 6 th and 7 th weeks with respect to illumination periods of 8.16 and 23.5 hour/day were 164.5 and 166.8 g, 174.8 and 177.4 g, 182.3 and 177.5 g respectively. The rates of livability were 88.6, 90.6 and 84.0 percent in lighting groups respectively.

Daily feed consumptions of quails at 8 hour/day illmination period in 6 th and 7 th weeks were 23.08 and 24.37 g respectively. Tota1 feed comsumption and feed consumption for 1 kg live weight gain at the same weeks and illmination periods were 748.8 and 924.4 g and 4.59 and 5.55 kg respectively. Same values for 16 hour/day illumination group were 27.23 and 23.80 g, 779.5 and 946.1 g and 4.44 and 5.32 kg. And finally at 23.5 hour/day illumination period values found were 28.47 and 24.79 g, 834.0 and 1007.5 g, 4.56 and 5.66 kg.

At the end of experiment 25 % of each group, equally chosen from each sexes, were slaughtered in order to study carcass characteristics. Head, legs, blood, feathers and internal organs for each quail were seperated, weighed and their ratios were calculated.

In conclusion, it was suggested that optimum illumination time is 16 hour/day with a tofal feeding period of 42 -45 days. Keywords : Quail, ligth, growth and carcass