6
Nutrient Requirements of Ring-Necked Pheasants, Japanese Quail, and Bobwhite Quail
As was true for geese and ducks, little information is available on the nutrient requirements of the game birds that are most frequently considered part of the poultry industry—Ring-necked pheasants, Japanese quail, and Bobwhite quail. Although these species do not constitute a major share of the poultry industry, there are an increasing number of specialized farms involved in their production.
RING-NECKED PHEASANTS
Information available on the nutrient requirements of the Ring-necked pheasant indicates that diets of relatively high nutrient concentrations are needed during the starting period (Table 6-1). Protein and amino acid needs, where documented (Appendix Table A-7), resemble those of turkeys. Also, pheasants are especially prone to leg disorders and abnormal feather growth when certain key nutrients such as niacin, riboflavin, choline, manganese, and zinc are inadequate (Sunde and Bird, 1957; Scott et al., 1959). Pheasant chicks are especially vulnerable to undefined dietary factors that impair leg development, and including extra zinc in diets has been shown to reduce the impact of these factors (Cook et al., 1984). A high level of calcium, as in a breeder ration, can cause leg problems and high mortality if fed to pheasant chicks (Woodard et al., 1979).
All nutrient requirements listed for female pheasants in egg production except for protein are tentative. Data presented by Monetti et al. (1982, 1985) indicate that dietary protein concentration should be maintained so that percentage of protein per megacalorie MEn/kg of diet does not exceed 5.6.
Often, pheasants are fed diets designed to produce birds for use on game-release farms. Diets relatively high in protein and low in energy may be used to encourage the development of lean pheasants suitable for release.
JAPANESE QUAIL
Japanese quail are used for commercial specialty meat and egg production and also are valued research animals. Consequently, the nutrient requirements of Japanese quail have been documented to a greater extent than have those of other game bird species. Few definitive data have been published since 1984, when the previous edition of this report was published and
TABLE 6-1 Nutrient Requirements of Ring-Necked Pheasants as Percentages or Units per Kilogram of Diet (90 percent dry matter)
Nutrient |
Unit |
0 to 4 Weeks; 2,800a |
4 to 8 Weeks; 2,800a |
9 to 17 Weeks; 2,700a |
Breeding; 2,800a |
Protein and amino acids |
|||||
Protein |
% |
28 |
24 |
18 |
15 |
Glycine + serine |
% |
1.8 |
1.55 |
1.0 |
0.50 |
Linoleic Acid |
% |
1.0 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
Lysine |
% |
1.5 |
1.40 |
0.8 |
0.68 |
Methionine |
% |
0.50 |
0.47 |
0.30 |
0.30 |
Methionine + cystine |
% |
1.0 |
0.93 |
0.6 |
0.60 |
Protein |
% |
28 |
24 |
18 |
15 |
Macrominerals |
|||||
Calcium |
% |
1.0 |
0.85 |
0.53 |
2.5 |
Chlorine |
% |
0.11 |
0.11 |
0.11 |
0.11 |
Nonphytate phosphorus |
% |
0.55 |
0.50 |
0.45 |
0.40 |
Sodium |
% |
0.15 |
0.15 |
0.15 |
0.15 |
Trace minerals |
|||||
Manganese |
mg |
70 |
70 |
60 |
60 |
Zinc |
mg |
60 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
Water soluble vitamins |
|||||
Choline |
mg |
1,430 |
1,300 |
1,000 |
1,000 |
Niacin |
mg |
70.0 |
70 |
40.0 |
30.0 |
Pantothenic acid |
mg |
10.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
16.0 |
Riboflavin |
mg |
3.4 |
3.4 |
3.0 |
4.0 |
NOTE: Where experimental data are lacking, values typeset in bold italics represent an estimate based on values obtained for other ages or species. For nutrients not listed or those for which no values are given, see requirements of turkeys (Table 3-1) as a guide. a These are typical dietary energy concentrations, expressed in kcal MEn/kg diet. |
TABLE 6-2 Nutrient Requirements of Japanese Quail (Coturnix) as Percentages or Units Per Kilogram of Diet (90 percent dry matter)
Nutrient |
Unit |
Starting and Growing; 2,900a |
Breeding; 2,900a |
Protein and amino acids |
|||
Protein |
% |
24.0 |
20.0 |
Arginine |
% |
1.25 |
1.26 |
Glycine + serine |
% |
1.15 |
1.17 |
Histidine |
% |
0.36 |
0.42 |
Isoleucine |
% |
0.98 |
0.90 |
Leucine |
% |
1.69 |
1.42 |
Lysine |
% |
1.30 |
1.00 |
Methionine |
% |
0.50 |
0.45 |
Methionine + cystine |
% |
0.75 |
0.70 |
Phenylalanine |
% |
0.96 |
0.78 |
Phenylalanine + tyrosine |
% |
1.80 |
1.40 |
Threonine |
% |
1.02 |
0.74 |
Tryptophan |
% |
0.22 |
0.19 |
Valine |
% |
0.95 |
0.92 |
Fat |
|||
Linoleic acid |
% |
1.0 |
1.0 |
Macrominerals |
|||
Calcium |
% |
0.8 |
2.5 |
Chlorine |
% |
0.14 |
0.14 |
Magnesium |
mg |
300 |
500 |
Nonphytate phosphorus |
% |
0.30 |
0.35 |
Potassium |
% |
0.4 |
0.4 |
Sodium |
% |
0.15 |
0.15 |
Trace minerals |
|||
Copper |
mg |
5 |
5 |
Iodine |
mg |
0.3 |
0.3 |
Iron |
mg |
120 |
60 |
Manganese |
mg |
60 |
60 |
Selenium |
mg |
0.2 |
0.2 |
Zinc |
mg |
25 |
50 |
Fat soluble vitamins |
|||
A |
IU |
1,650 |
3,300 |
D3 |
ICU |
750 |
900 |
E |
IU |
12 |
25 |
K |
mg |
1 |
1 |
Water soluble vitamins |
|||
B12 |
mg |
0.003 |
0.003 |
Biotin |
mg |
0.3 |
0.15 |
Choline |
mg |
2,000 |
1,500 |
Folacin |
mg |
1 |
1 |
Niacin |
mg |
40 |
20 |
Pantothenic acid |
mg |
10 |
15 |
Pyridoxine |
mg |
3 |
3 |
Riboflavin |
mg |
4 |
4 |
Thiamin |
mg |
2 |
2 |
NOTE: Where experimental data are lacking, values typeset in bold italics represent an estimate based on values obtained for other ages or species. For values not listed for the starting-growing periods, see requirements for turkeys (Table 3-1) as a guide. a These are typical dietary energy concentrations, expressed in kcal MEn/kg diet. |
TABLE 6-3 Nutrient Requirements of Bobwhite Quail as Percentages or Units per Kilogram of Diet (90 percent dry matter)
Nutrient |
Unit |
0 to 6 Weeks; 2,800a |
After 6 Weeks; 2,800a |
Breeding; 2,800a |
Protein and amino acids |
||||
Protein |
% |
26 |
20.0 |
24.0 |
Methionine + cystine |
% |
1.0 |
0.75 |
0.90 |
Fat |
||||
Linoleic acid |
% |
1.0 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
Macrominerals |
||||
Calcium |
% |
0.65 |
0.65 |
2.4 |
Nonphytate phosphorus |
% |
0.45 |
0.30 |
0.70 |
Sodium |
% |
0.15 |
0.15 |
0.15 |
Trace minerals |
||||
Chlorine |
% |
0.11 |
0.11 |
0.11 |
Iodine |
mg |
0.30 |
0.30 |
0.30 |
Water soluble vitamins |
||||
Choline |
mg |
1,500.0 |
1,500.0 |
1,000.0 |
Niacin |
mg |
30.0 |
30.0 |
20.0 |
Pantothenic acid |
mg |
12.0 |
9.0 |
15.0 |
Riboflavin |
mg |
3.8 |
3.0 |
4.0 |
NOTE: Where experimental data are lacking, values typeset in bold italics represent an estimate based on values obtained for other ages or species. For values not listed for the starting-growing periods, see requirements for turkeys as a guide. a These are typical dietary energy concentrations, expressed in kcal MEn/kg diet. |
BOBWHITE QUAIL
The committee has made few changes in the nutrient specifications for Bobwhite quail (Table 6-3). Its reevaluation of the data (Appendix Table A-9) used to establish the previous requirements resulted in some modifications in protein, TSAA, calcium, and phosphorus recommendations for starting-growing Bobwhite quail. As with other game birds reared commercially, Bobwhite quail grown for game-release farms should be fed diets of relatively low energy content during the growing period to prevent excessive fattening.