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Context Quail production is increasingly emerging as a low-capital, cheap, alternative source for supplementing protein intake among peoples in tropical countries such as Nigeria. Aims To increase animal protein sources, promote their availability to rural people, and reduce the unit cost of protein to the people, the effect of dietary crude protein on feed consumption, egg productivity and egg-quality characteristics of quail in the high-altitude Ekiti area of Nigeria was evaluated. Methods In total, 142 mature Japanese quails, divided into four groups with four replicates per group, were fed with four diets differing in dietary protein concentration with a near-isocaloric maize–groundnut cake–soybean meal-based diets for 10 weeks. Three experimental diets (18%, 22% and 24% crude protein (CP)) were tested and compared with a control 20% CP diet, in a completely randomised design of four replicates per treatment. Each consisted of 10 quails/cage at 5 weeks of age. Parameters measured on each quail included feed intake, egg number and egg-quality characteristics. Data were subjected to general linear model, regression and Duncan multiple-range procedures for means separation by SAS®v9.4 (2013). Key results Increasing dietary protein from 18% to 24% in the diet of experimental quails decreased daily feed intake, hen-day egg production (HDP) and average egg mass (AEM; P < 0.05) during egg lay, whereas egg weight and diameter, egg shell weight, albumen weight, height and percentage, and yolk height increased significantly (P < 0.05). The 18% CP diet produced the highest HDP and AEM responses (P < 0.05). The 20% CP diet produced the highest numerical shell and yolk percentages (P > 0.05). Birds on 22% CP diet consumed the lowest quantity of feed (daily feed intake, P < 0.05) and had the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR, P > 0.05). Birds on 24% CP diet produced the highest egg weight and diameter, egg shell weight, albumen weight, height and percentage, and yolk height (P < 0.05). Haugh unit values were high and uninfluenced by an increasing dietary protein concentration (P > 0.05). The high and above-threshold environmental temperature–humidity index value of the test station resulted in heat stress during egg production, and was considered major cause of the generally low productivity and low egg-trait values obtained. Conclusions The 18% CP diet produced the highest HDP and AEM, while the 22% CP diet was the most efficiently utilised diet, and 24% CP diet stimulated higher egg-weight and egg-quality traits. Implications Massive quail egg production could be sustained among rural people with the 18% CP diet, with adequate energy level, and without adverse effects on egg quality.

Tropical commercial poultry industry is anchored on exotic strains which suffer varying degrees of productivity and adaptability problems. Adaptability is the ability to produce better or demonstrate least variation in productivity under multiple environments. The study was undertaken to examine the productivity and adaptability of Bevan Nera (IB) and Is a Brown (IB) parent stock strains under two locations and seasons. Data on weekly feed intake (FI g), cock weight (Cockwt, g), hen weight (Henwt, g), hen house production (HHP, %) and egg weight (Ewt, g) were collected from a commercial parent stock breeding farm in Ibadan, Nigeria, on the two strains. Data were subjected to general linear model analysis (GLM) procedures using SAS (1999), while mean separation was by bonferoni t-test (P=0.05). The statistical model was randomized complete block design (RCBD) in factorial. Factors of importance were Genotype (S), Location (L) as Fixed, and Season (S) as random. The effects of location on seasonal productivity and season on locational productivity for strains were 7.38, 4.96; and 4.99, 8.11 (%) for BN, IB respectively. GxL and GxLxS interactions were significant (P<0.043 and <0.013) for adaptability of strains. Locational adaptability indices were 48.59 and 51.41 while Seasonal adaptability indices were 63.32 and 36.68 (%) respectively for BN and IB strains.

This study evaluated the potential utilisation of African yam bean (AYB) seed as a supplement to Guinea grass on in vitro gas and methane (CH 4) production, as well as the effect of processing on AYB nutritive value. In experiment 1, unprocessed AYB meal at 10, 15, 20, and 25% inclusion levels was added to Guinea grass substrate and evaluated for in vitro gas production, CH 4 , and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). In experiment 2, the effect of soaked, boiled, toasted, and fermented AYB meal at 20% inclusion on in vitro fermentation was evaluated. In vitro gas production as well as in vitro organic matter digestibility of Guinea grass increased with AYB supplementation. The associative effect of Guinea grass with AYB showed an increase in gas and CH 4 production. At 20% inclusion level, AYB processing methods did not affect the gas production, CH 4 , and IVOMD of the substrate. Fermentation improved the crude protein, iron, and zinc contents, reduced acid detergent fibre concentration but did not reduce the concentrations of alkaloid, total phenol, saponin, and trypsin inhibitors of AYB. Seed soaking for 48 h reduced the total phenol, tannin, oxalate, and phytate content, while seed boiling reduced the concentrations of alkaloid, total phenol, tannin, and trypsin inhibitors. Compared with the raw AYB, boiling is the most effective processing method to reduce the investigated phytochemicals, followed by soaking, toasting, and fermentation, in that order.

To propose a simpler tool that eliminates the age-long problems associated with the traditional index method for selection of multiple traits in broilers, the Barttlet factor regression equation is being proposed as an alternative selection tool. 100 day-old chicks each of Arbor Acres (AA) and Annak (AN) broiler strains were obtained from two rival hatcheries in Ibadan Nigeria. These were raised on deep litter system in a 56-day feeding trial in the University of Ibadan Teaching and Research Farm, located in South-west Tropical Nigeria. The body weight and body dimensions were measured and recorded during the trial period. Eight (8) zoometric measurements namely Live weight (g), Abdominal Circumference, Abdominal length, Breast width, leg length, Height, Wing length and Thigh circumference (all in cm) were recorded randomly from 20 birds within strain, at a fixed time on the first day of the new week respectively with a 5-kg capacity Camry scale. These records were analyzed and compared using completely randomized design (CRD) of SPSS analytical software, with the means procedure, Factor Scores (FS) in stepwise Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) procedure for initial live weight equations. Bartlett Factor Score (BFS) analysis extracted 2 factors for each strain, termed Body-length and Thigh-meatiness Factors for AA, and; Breast Size and Height Factors for AN. These derived orthogonal factors assisted in deducing and comparing trait-combinations that best describe body conformation and Meatiness in experimental broilers. BFS procedure yielded different body conformational traits for the two strains, thus indicating the different economic traits and advantages of strains. These Factors could be useful as selection criteria for improving desired economic traits. The final Bartlett Factor Regression equations for prediction of body weight were highly significant with P&lt;0.0001, R2 of 0.92 and above, VIF of 1.00, and DW of 1.90 and 1.47 for Arbor Acres and Annak respectively. These FSR equations could be used as a simple and potent tool for selection during poultry flock improvement, it could also be used to estimate selection index of flocks to discriminate between strains, and evaluate consumer preference traits in broilers.