Photostimulation of Japanese quail

To adapt commercial poultry production to a new scenario of energy savings and to develop specific practices for quail production aimed at reducing costs while maintaining or improving productivity, four experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, birds were allocated to four treatments (photoperiod duration): T1: 14 L:10 D; T2: 15 L:9 D; T3: 16 L:8 D; and T4: 17 L:7 D. In the second experiment, birds were subjected to four levels of brightness: T1: 5 lux; T2: 10 lux; T3:15 lux; and T4: 22 lux (control). In the third experiment, four types of lamps were evaluated: T1: compact fluorescent lamp (color temperature: 6,500 K); T2: compact fluorescent lamp (color temperature: 2,700 K); T3: incandescent lamp; and T4: yellow LED. In the last experiment, four lighting programs were compared: T1: continuous program (control), in which there was a single photoperiod of 15 h; the other treatments consisted of intermittent lighting programs, as follows: T2: 1 h of light provided 1 h after dusk; T3: 1 h of light provided 2 h before dawn; T4: half an hour of light provided 1 h after dusk and half an hour of light provided 1.5 h before dawn. In each experiment, 1,296 Japanese quail were evaluated for four 28-d cycles, totaling 112 experimental days. A completely randomized experimental design of 4 treatments with 12 replicates of 27 birds each was applied in all trials. Performance and egg quality were evaluated in each experiment. Higher egg production and adequate egg quality, as well as energy savings, can be obtained with Japanese quail using compact fluorescent lamps or LEDs and a photoperiod of 15 h/d supplied using an intermittent lighting program, with 1 h of artificial light 2 h before dawn at a brightness of 5 lux.

REVISÃO: SÍNDROME DO OSSO NEGRO EM FRANGOS DE CORTE

Alguns fatores envolvidos na incidência de síndrome do osso negro e suas consequências na qualidade e aceitação da carne de coxas e sobrecoxas de frangos de corte estão descritos nesta revisão. Sabe-se que a conservação de coxas e sobrecoxas pelo congelamento leva à formação de cristais de gelo que rompem as células da medula óssea, causando extravasamento da hemoglobina presente na mesma, quando o osso está frágil ou poroso acentua-se o extravasamento de sangue que ocorre principalmente pela região proximal na tíbia e no fêmur. O escurecimento causado na carne adjacente ao osso é chamado de síndrome do osso e tem implicações na qualidade da carne, alterando principalmente a aparência da mesma devido ao escurecimento causado. O escurecimento decorrente do sangue extravasado na carne tem implicações na qualidade da mesma e pode resultar em problemas na aceitação de carne de coxa e sobrecoxa. Assim, torna-se necessário providências a longo prazo, com seleção genética focada na estrutura óssea e a curto prazo, com adição de nutrientes que podem melhorar a qualidade óssea.