Substituting dehulled full-fat sunflower seed-meal for soybean-meal in Japanese quail diets

Dehulled full-fat sunflower seed-meal (FSSM) was evaluated as a replacement for soybean-meal (SBM) in Japanese quail rations on an isoenergetic and is onitrogenous basis. The study was conducted with 135 unsexed quail chicks o f 1-week-old and the effect of replacing 25, 50, 75 or 100% SBM with dehull ed FSSM on the performance was studied in a 8-week trial. The results showe d that 100% replacement of SBM with FSSM did not affect (P<0.05) body weigh t, feed intake, Feed conversion efficiency and survivability. Level of diet ary SBM substitution exerted no effect on sexual maturity and egg weight. D ressing parameters, as measured by dressing percentage and blood, feather, heart, liver, gizzard, abdominal fat, head and shank weights, were also not affected (P<0.05) by the diets. But, there were significant differences be tween sexes for live weight, dressing percentage and liver, gizzard, abdomi nal fat and head weights of quails. The results indicated that complete rep lacement of SBM with dehulled FSSM may not be harmful to support normal pro ductivity.