Growth Performance and Serum Biochemical Profile of Japanese Quail as Affected by Pine Needles and Vitamin E Powder

Amanullah Amanullah; Mehlib Hussain; Muhammad Ikram Sarwar; Ismail Khan; Shakirullah Khan; Rafiullah

Growth Performance and Serum Biochemical Profile of Japanese Quail as Affected by Pine Needles and Vitamin E Powder

Authors

Amanullah Amanullah Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Mehlib Hussain Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Muhammad Ikram Sarwar Department of Animal Nutrition, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Ismail Khan Veterinary Research and Disease Investigation Center, Balogram Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Shakirullah Khan Veterinary Research and Disease Investigation Center, Balogram Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Rafiullah Department of Poultry Science, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Keywords:

Antioxidants, Growth performance, Japanese quail, Pine needle powder, Serum biochemistry, Vitamin E

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with pine needle powder and vitamin E on the growth performance and serum biochemical profile of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). A total of 160 day-old quail chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatment groups with four replicates of 10 birds each. The treatments included: AS1 (control, basal diet), AS2 (basal diet + 200 mg/kg pine needle powder), AS3 (basal diet + 200 mg/kg vitamin E), and AS4 (basal diet + 200 mg/kg pine needle powder + 200 mg/kg vitamin E). The feeding trial lasted for six weeks. Results showed that birds in the AS4 group exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) body weight gain and improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to the control and other treatment groups. Supplementation with pine needles and vitamin E, both individually and in combination, did not affect feed intake significantly but enhanced growth efficiency. The serum biochemical analysis revealed that total protein, albumin, and globulin levels were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the supplemented groups, particularly in AS4. Moreover, serum cholesterol and triglycerides were markedly reduced, while liver enzyme activities (ALT and AST) were significantly lower in treated groups, indicating improved liver function and reduced oxidative stress. In conclusion, the combined supplementation of pine needle powder and vitamin E positively influenced growth performance, protein metabolism, lipid profile, and liver enzyme activity in Japanese quail. These findings suggest that this natural antioxidant blend could serve as an effective alternative to synthetic growth promoters for enhancing the productivity and health status of poultry.

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