Effects of Aquablend on performance parameters and intestinal morphology of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) reared under normal and cold stress conditions.

Objectives: Aquablend Avian ® (A.A) is a blend of beneficial bacteria and antibodies of natural origin extracted from dehydrated eggs. A.A provides the animal with both, beneficial desired microbial to recover the normal balance in the intestinal microflora and natural antibodies, specific against predominant pathogens in the animal.Materials Methods: Two hundred and forty 1-d old Japanese Quails were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups with 3 replicates in each group (20 birds /replicate). The groups were normal temperature control; cold stress control, normal temperature A.A and cold stress A.A. At first environmental temperature was 30ċ which was decreased to 24ċ at the end of the second week. Experimental cold stress was induced by placing the cold stress groups in an environment with 14 ċ till the end of the experiment. All of groups were fed corn-based diet. The treatment groups received water containing the A.A powder (50g /1000 birds/day) during the first 3 days. All the birds were weighed weekly and live weight gain and feed conversion ratio were calculated on a per bird basis. At the end of the experiment, 8 birds were selected from each group and were slaughtered to measure carcass parameters. Then, 2-cm segments of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum were dissected and intestinal villi morphology were measured.Results Conclusion: FCR and weight gain were affected by supplementing A.A in normal and cold temperature in comparison with control group (P 0.05). On the other hand, under normal situation, Japanese quail’s duodenum surface area were improved in A.A group compared with control group in normal condition (P 0.05). It could be concluded that supplementation of A.A in the water during the first three days would be a beneficial choice of additives for improving FCR and weight gain in both normal and cold stress situations