Sorghum, millet and cassava as alternative dietary energy sources for sustainable quail production – A review

Abstract

Diversification and expansion of the poultry industry with fast-growing and highly prolific birds such as the quail (Coturnix coturnix), could contribute significantly in achieving global food and nutrition security. However, sustainable intensification of the quail relies on the cost of dietary ingredients used during feed formulations. The use of non-conventional energy sources such as sorghum, millet, and cassava in lieu of expensive energy sources such as maize, could ensure sustainable quail businesses. Generally, alternative feedstuffs should be cost-effective and possess comparable nutritional qualities as maize. In tropical countries such as South Africa, the use of sorghum, millet, and cassava in quail diets can serve as ideal alternatives because they have relatively comparable energy values as maize. Furthermore, these alternatives are largely available and easily accessible in many farming areas of South Africa. However, the presence of antinutritional factors such as tannins, cyanides and phytic acid, among others, as well as their high fiber levels may limit their utilization in quail nutrition. Nevertheless, attempts have been made to develop improved varieties with low antinutrient compositions, for instance, low-tannin sorghum varieties are increasingly being fed to poultry birds. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that certain processing techniques such as sun-drying, soaking, boiling and fermentation, among others, can lower the concentrations of antinutrients in these alternative feedstuffs, thus increasing their feeding value. To this end, nutritional feeding trials on the positive effects of sorghum, millet and cassava in quail nutrition are inconsistent, mainly due to differences in cultivar type, harvesting site or environmental conditions, sampling, and handling methods amongst other factors. Thus, the present review aimed to discuss the potential of substituting maize with sorghum, millet, and cassava in quail diets.

Does the marketing age impact growth performance, carcass traits, economic feasibility and hemato-biochemical properties of genetically-modified quails?

“…Quail need less feed than other bird species because they are smaller; at four weeks old, their average live body weight ( LBW ) is 200 g ( Sabow, 2020 ). Furthermore, quail can convert feed sources into meat and eggs ( Arthur and Bejaei, 2017 ; Mnisi et al, 2023 ). In addition, quail birds are resistant to diseases, and the costs of establishing private pens for raising them are low ( Minvielle, 2004 ).…”

Nutrient composition of Sorghum-Based Rations and their effect on growth of Improved Indigenous Chicken in Western Kenya

“…Globally, sorghum is primarily known and used as feed for livestock, even though over half of the production of sorghum grains is used for human consumption (Khoddami et al, 2023;Williams & Capps, 2020) Sorghum is an energy-dense (3633 -3944 Kcal kg-1 dry matter) cereal grain that can suitably replace maize in the diets of broiler chicken (Saleh et al, 2019). Nutritional composition of sorghum is 31.6 -90.9% dry matter, 5.9 -16.8% crude protein, 3.3 -4.1% ether extract, 1.9 -5.5% ash and 3.6% crude fibre (Mnisi et al, 2023). Among cereals, sorghum is considered to have better protein quality or amino acid scores (Okpala & Okoli, 2011).…”