Substituição do milho pelo farelo de palma forrageira nas rações de codornas europeias no semiárido.

Abstract

This paper aimed to provide quail breeders in the semiarid region of Paraiba possibilities of increasing their profits by partial replacement of ground corn by spineless cactus meal (SCM), in the birds feeding through the analysis of productive performance and carcass yield and cuts. 240 mixed European quails were used, with 21 days of age, distributed in groups of 10 birds per plot and submitted to four levels of inclusion of SCM (0, 5, 10 and 15%) in their food, with six replications in a completely randomized design, totaling 24 experimental plots. The variables studied were feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion in stages of growth, from 22 to 35 days of age; final, from 36 to 45 days of age and in the complete experimental period, from 22 to 45 days of age. It was also evaluated the carcass yield and cuts. There was a significant difference (P<0,05) for all the variables studied in the two growing phases and in the experiment as a whole. The best results for feed intake were obtained with the level of 10% of spineless cactus meal, while for weight gain and feed conversion the best results were obtained with the level of 5% of substitution of corn by spineless cactus meal. For carcass yield there was a difference (P<0,05) among treatments, however, there was not difference for cuts yield. It is recommended, concerning productive performance and carcass yield, the use of up to 5% of spineless cactus meal in corn substitution in European quails food in semiarid. It is suggested that new researches are carried out using exogenous enzymes in their food in order to verify their possible effects on spineless cactus meal and the accomplishment of new works, with other levels of her substitution for the corn.