-The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of chamomile extract on Japanese quail on their performance, animal behavior, tonic immobility, body injuries, and surface temperature. The trial was conducted using 108 quail distributed in a completely randomized experimental design, with three treatments (0, 2.5, and 5.0 g chamomile/kg of feed), six replicates, and six birds per treatment, evaluated in six measures repeated in time (14, 28, 42, 56, 70, and 84 days of trial). The inclusion of chamomile presented a quadratic effect on sitting behavior, estimating the inclusion of 1.8 g chamomile/kg to maximize this behavior. There was a decreasing linear effect for aggressive pecking, that is, the higher the inclusion of chamomile in the diet, the lower the expression of this behavior. The inclusion of 1.8-5.0 g chamomile/kg in a Japanese quail diet reduces the behavior of aggressive pecking, in addition to keeping the birds seated longer. These results are innovative because they show in the literature for the first time that chamomile supplemented in Japanese quail diets has the capacity to modulate the behavior of the quail, leading to an improvement in the welfare of quail raised in cages.

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Time of exposure and light intensity rearing house may affect the performance and egg quality of laying quails. This research aimed at evaluating the live performance, egg quality, biometry of the reproductive system, and the gastrointestinal tract of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) exposed to artificial light-emitting diodes (LED) of different colors in comparison with fluorescent lamps. A total of 240 Japanese quails were distributed in completely randomized experimental design with four treatments (fluorescent lamp, and green, red, or blue LED lamps) with six replicates of 10 birds each. Average egg weight and eggshell thickness were different (p<0.05) when LED bulbs were compared with fluorescent lamps. The egg weight of the birds exposed to the red LED was similar to those under a fluorescent lamp (p>0.05). The oviduct of 64-d-old hens exposed to green LED lighting was shorter (p<0.05) than those exposed to the fluorescent lamp. Red LED can be used to replace the fluorescent lamps, as they promote the same live performance, egg quality, and morphological development of the reproductive tract of laying Japanese quails.

Long storage periods may increase embryo mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of storage period on the weight loss, eggshell surface temperature, hatchability, and embryonic mortality of Japanese quail eggs. Two hundred fertile eggs were collected from a flock of 30-week-old Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). The eggs were collected for 10 consecutive days after lay, and immediately incubated. A completely randomized experimental design with 10 treatments, corresponding to the number of days eggs were stored between egg collection and setting, with 20 replicates each, was applied. Egg weight loss increased with storage period duration, starting on day 6 (2.1%, on average) and reached 3.26%, on average, in eggs stored for 10 days. The highest hatchability (p>0.05) was obtained in eggs stored for two days, which also lost the least weight (1.20%). Storage period did not influence eggshell surface temperature (p>0.05) during incubation, but higher temperatures (p<0.05) were measured on days 10 and 15 of incubation compared with day 5. Eggs stored for ten days presented the highest weight loss, and therefore, a storage period of up to five days is recommended to maintain the quality of incubated Japanese quail eggs. Furthermore, egg surface temperature increases during the second half of the incubation period as a result of increasing embryonic metabolic rate.

Plants have been widely used to treat many diseases, especially by traditional communities as Indians, that can be considered as an important source of empirical knowledge about the medicinal potential of the Brazilian biodiversity. This study aimed to investigate the use of medicinal plants by a particular Amazon-Indian community named Ikólóéhj (Gavião). The data was obtained based on a semi-structured interview and long-term visits along the indigenous area to harvest the botanical material to subsequent identification and storage in herbarium. In the present work, we identify 23 plant species and three morphospecies, distributed into Ferns / Lycophytes and Angiosperms. In addition, we show that leaves (78%), bark (13%) and roots (9%) were used via maceration (49%), topical use (26%), infusion and bath (13%), and decoction (9%). These plants were used to treat pain, diarrhea, malnutrition, parasites infection, wounds, and snakebites. We also observe that the knowledge about medicinal plants is shared to the older members of the community and this information is transmitted orally to the next generations. Thus, the present study contributes to the regrowth and preservation of knowledge about the use of medicinal plants providing important subsidies for understanding of therapeutic properties of Amazonian plants.