PSXI-8 Effect of guava extract supplementation of japanese quail breeder (Coturnix coturnix japonica) on quality of neonate quail hatched by eggs storaged at different periods pre-incubation

The objective was to evaluate the use of guava extract (Psidium guajava L.) as an antioxidant additive in the diets of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) in laying phase and to verify the quality of neonate quail hatched by eggs stored at different periods pre-incubation. The experiment was conduced at Federal University of Goias. A four hundred and thirty-two (432) eggs of layer Japanese quails fed with guava extract (contained 2.13% ellagic acid) in the diet were incubated in a completely randomized design, in a single-stage incubator. Temperature of 37°C and humidity of 65% was manteined. The eggs were distributed in 4x2 factorial design (levels of guava extract and stored pre-incubation period) with 54 replicates, each egg being considered an experimental unit. Four levels of guava extract were added in the ration of the breeders (0.0%, 0.3%, 0.6% and 0.9%) and two stored pre-incubation period (three and nine days) were studied. The quail neonate quality and intestinal development were analyzed. The results were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey test at 5% probability. To score quality was used Fisher exact test. The egg weight, neonate quail weight and quail lenght were lower when eggs were stored for nine days (P < 0.05) independent of levels of guava extract in breeder diets. The quality of neonate quail was not influenced by guava extract and stored pre-incubation period. The use of 0.9% guava extract as an antioxidant resulted in higher crypt depth in quails hatched from eggs stored for nine days. It is possible that antioxidant effect of el-lagic acid preserved the lipidic structures of the intestinal villi during the stored pre-incubation period. It is concluded that the use of 0.9% inclusion of guava extract in layer quail diets enhanced the intestinal development of the neonate quail but did not improve quality of neonate quail.