Comportamento e desempenho de codornas japonesas de postura suplementadas com extrato de camomila

Abstract

The aim of the study was evaluate the inclusion of chamomile on behavior and performance of Japanese quails. A total of 108 Japanese laying quails were used in a completely randomized design in a 3x6 factorial scheme composed of three levels of chamomile (0, 2.5 and 5.0 g of camomile / kg in the diet, with six replicates and six birds each) evaluated in six measures repeated in time (14, 28, 42, 56, 70 and 84 days of experiment). There was a quadratic effect (P = 0.0073) for "sitting" parameter, estimating the inclusion of 1.8 g of camomile/kg to maximize this behavior. There was a decreasing linear effect (P = 0.0261) for aggressive pecking behavior, in which the higher the inclusion of chamomile in birds diet, lower was the expression of this behavior by birds. It is concluded that the inclusion of 1.8 g of chamomile/kg in Japanese quail diets reduces aggressive pecking behavior, besides keeping the birds seated for longer.