Effect of Fattening Period Duration on Meat Productivity of Domestic Quails from Different Productive Types

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of age and productive type on meat production in domestic quail. A total of 240 male and female quail of meat type (n=80), heavy dual-purpose (n=80) and light dual-purpose (n=80) type, sexed at 14 days of age, were fattened to 28, 35, and 42 days of age. Mortality (%), live weight (g), growth (g), feed consumption (g), feed conversion (kg/kg gain) were monitored during the fattening period. At 28-, 35-, and 42-days of age 9 male and 9 female birds from each productive type were slaughtered and the carcasses were analyzed. Live weight and carcass weight were seriously affected by the productive type and sex of the quail, especially at the end of the test period (P < 0.001). The amount of hand-boned meat from the most valuable parts of the carcass were affected by productive type P < 0.001) with statistically significant gender differences at the end of the test period (P < 0.05). The sex and productive type affected the meat yield which increased with slaughter age from 28 to 42 days (P < 0.001). With an increase in the slaughter age from 28 to 42 days, the inter-sex differences in slaughter yield increased (P < 0.001). Increased production costs (up to 75%) and lower efficiency of feed transformation (especially after 35 days of age) into finished products were observed with increasing fattening age in all three productive types. Meat production from a specialized meat-producing line is considered the most efficient and the least efficient - from the light egg-laying line. The study demonstrated that age and productive type have a serious impact on the fattening and meat-producing characteristics of quail and on the efficiency of quail meat production.