Effect of Adding Different Rates of Bee Pollen to Quail Rations on Performance and Carcass Parameters

This study was conducted to determine the effects of different amounts of pollen added to quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) diets on fattening performance, some carcass, and internal organ parameters. In this study, 625 one-day-old mixed-sex Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) chicks were used as animal material. The quail chicks were randomly divided into 5 main groups of 125 chicks each and each main group was divided into 5 subgroups of 25 chicks. According to the feed groups; the control group (C) was fed with the basic ration, while the trial (Trial I, II, III, and IV) groups were formed by adding pollen to the basic ration at different rates (0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00%). In the 42-day study, quails were reared in cages with dimensions of 96x46x25 cm. At the end of the research, the PI group was found to be significantly higher than the C group in terms of live weight, live weight gain, and feed conversion ratio (P<0.001), while no statistical difference was detected between the groups in terms of feed consumption. Among the carcass parameters, slaughter weight (P<0.001), hot and cold carcass weight (P<0.01), and breast weight (P<0.05) were found to be statistically higher in the PI group than in the C group. Among the visceral organ weights, the PI group was determined to be higher than the C group in terms of intestine weight. As a result, considering the overall experiment, it is recommended to use 0.25% pollen in quail rations due to its positive effect on fattening and performance, some carcass parameters, and intestinal weight.