Evaluation of the Production Performance of Two Strains of Japanese Quail Fed Diets Supplemented with Fennel Seeds, Dill Seeds, and Their Mixture

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with fennel and dill seeds, individually or in combination, on the production performance of two Japanese quail strains, brown and black.

Methodology: The study was conducted at the College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul, using 320 one-day-old Japanese quails from two strains, brown and black. The birds were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments for 35 days, with each treatment comprising 40 birds distributed among four replicates of 10 birds each. The dietary treatments included an unsupplemented control diet, fennel seed supplementation at 0.4 g/kg feed, dill seed supplementation at 0.4 g/kg feed, and a combination of fennel and dill seeds at 0.2 g/kg feed each. Growth performance, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, dressing percentage, and mortality were evaluated.

Results: The black strain had significantly greater live body weight at 1 day of age and at 3 and 5 weeks of age than the brown strain. Among the dietary treatments, fennel seed supplementation produced the most pronounced improvements in growth performance and significantly exceeded the other treatments. The interaction between strain and dietary supplementation indicated that fennel supplementation produced the greatest improvement in performance, followed by dill supplementation, whereas the fennel-dill combination also significantly improved performance compared with the control in both strains. The black strain and fennel-supplemented group recorded the greatest total weight gain. Feed consumption did not differ significantly between strains or among the supplemented groups, whereas the control and dill-supplemented groups exhibited improved feed conversion ratios. Dressing percentage was significantly higher in the black strain and fennel-supplemented groups. Mortality was significantly reduced by dill supplementation.

Conclusion: Dietary supplementation with fennel and dill seeds, particularly fennel alone, improved several production performance traits of Japanese quails. Fennel supplementation enhanced growth performance and dressing percentage, whereas dill supplementation was associated with reduced mortality and improved feed conversion. These findings indicate that fennel and dill seeds have potential as dietary phytogenic additives for improving production performance in Japanese quails.