EFFECT OF HERBAL EXTRACTS IN DRINKING WATER OF LAYER QUAILS ON PERFORMANCE, EGG QUALITY, INTESTINAL HISTOLOGY, AND SOME SERUM BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS

This study was conducted to measure the influence of some herbal extracts on performance, egg quality, intestinal histology, and some biochemical measurements in layer local quails. 162 quails, including males and females in their 48 weeks of age were divided equally into 18 separate cages, and where placed different levels of the herbal extract mixture (1 ml/l and 2 ml/l) were placed in drinking water for five weeks. Egg production was monitored daily, performance and egg quality were measured weekly, and intestinal histology and serum biochemical parameters were measured at the end of the experiment. In the results, herbal treatments, age, and interaction significantly improved the body weight, egg mass, egg weight uniformity %, feed conversion ratio, and egg production. However, the egg weight was significantly affected by interaction and age. The egg quality parameters including shape index, shell percentage, yolk height, albumin height, albumin percentage, yolk color, and Haugh unit, were significantly affected by the herbal treatment levels, age, and interaction between them. Although the levels of herbal extracts didn’t affect the shell thickness, yolk width, albumin width, and yolk percentage, these were significantly affected by age and interaction. All of the studied serum biochemical and intestinal histology measurements except the AST enzyme were significantly changed in the treated groups compared to the control group. The present results conclude that the administration of selected herbal extracts improved most of the studied parameters in laying local quails.