Vol. 10, Issue 1, Part E (2025)

Author(s): Omar Isam, Asaad DS AL-Doori, Ahmed AD Al-Doori, Saif AJ Aldarraji and Qais AL-Saada

Abstract: The study was conducted in the animal field of the College of Agriculture at Tikrit University from January 10, 2024, to February 25, 2024. This study highlights the significance of utilizing safe natural nutritional alternatives that positively influence growth, production performance, internal organ health, and meat quality, serving as replacements for antibiotics detrimental to human health. Aqueous extracts of medicinal plants, particularly garlic and cinnamon, are among the most significant compounds. The study aimed to evaluate the impact on productive and nutritional characteristics, egg production percentage, egg mass, and carcass traits of Japanese quail. The study involved 52 sexed Japanese quail at 9 weeks of age. The birds were housed in iron cages specifically designed for quail, with four treatments, each comprising 13 birds: 9 females and 4 males. The first treatment received no substance (control), the second treatment included 1.5 ml/L of garlic aqueous extract, the third treatment contained 1.5 ml/L of cinnamon aqueous extract, and the fourth treatment comprised a mixture of 1.5 ml/L of garlic and cinnamon aqueous extracts. The production performance results indicated a notable superiority in total egg production percentages for the second and third treatments, with no significant differences observed in average egg weight, egg mass, or feed conversion ratio. The analysis of internal organs in males reveals a notable increase in the relative weight of the testicles for the first treatment. The second treatment demonstrated a significantly greater relative weight of the intestines. Additionally, the male carcass exhibited a significant advantage in carcass weight over the third treatment. No significant differences were observed in live body weight, dressing percentage, heart, gizzard, or liver. In female carcasses, the second treatment showed significant superiority in both live body weight and carcass weight. The fourth treatment demonstrated a significantly higher percentage of purity and relative heart weight. The third and fourth treatments exhibited significantly greater relative gizzard weight, while the first and second treatments showed significantly superior relative liver weight. No significant differences were observed in the relative weight of the intestines across the experimental treatments.