Effects of different environmental enrichments on the behavioral patterns, growth performance, hematological, and hormonal changes in Japanese quail.

Elgazzar, Eman; Ahmed, Essam Ali; Abdemoaty, Souad; Morsy, Mohamed

doi:10.21608/bvmj.2022.132753.1513

Effects of different environmental enrichments on the behavioral patterns, growth performance, hematological, and hormonal changes in Japanese quail.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt.

² veterinary hygeine and management departement, veterinary medicine, benha univerisity, egypt

³ Faculty of veterinary medicine, benha university

10.21608/bvmj.2022.132753.1513

Abstract

The current study was carried out to estimate the effect of environmental enrichments (EE) on behavioral patterns, growth performance, hematological, and hormonal changes in Japanese quail. A total number of 216 healthy Japanese quails 1 month old with an average body weight of 135.66±1.32 g were randomly assigned to three groups (72 birds each) and each group was divided into 3 replicates (24 birds each) with a sex ratio 1 male to 3 females according to the environmental enrichment within the pen. The first group had no environmental enrichment (control group), the second group was subjected to visual enrichment by using mirrors of 40 cm length fixed into the pen in the wall behind birds (mirror group) while the birds in the third group were subjected to auditory enrichment through using of classical music which comes from speaker hanged at one corner of the pen. Behavioral patterns and growth performance were recorded weekly. At the end of the study, 15 birds from each group were selected randomly and slaughtered to obtain blood samples; 6 ml of blood was collected from each bird for hematological analysis and cortisol determination. The obtained results revealed that environmental enrichments specially using of music improved feeding and comfort behaviors of Japanese quail and reduced aggression followed by mirror group and control one. No significant effect of EE on growth performance (P<0.05). In conclusion environmental enrichments of Japanese quail house improved the behavioral patterns.

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