title: Effects of dietary supplementation of meat-type quail breeders with guanidinoacetic acid on their reproductive parameters and progeny performance.
abstract: This study was conducted to assess the effect of dietary supplementation of meat-type quail breeders with guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) on their reproductive parameters and progeny performance. Two hundred forty meat-type quails at 25 wk of age were distributed in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 8 replicates of 6 birds each. The treatments consisted of 5 dietary levels of GAA (0.00, 0.06, 0.12, 0.18, and 0.24%). The progenies from quail breeders were housed according to breeder treatments and fed a conventional diet based on corn and soybean meal without GAA supplementation. Dietary GAA levels did not affect (P > 0.05) the productivity of meat-type quail breeders, although the concentration of guanidinic compounds (creatine, GAA, and creatinine) in the eggs from the breeders increased linearly (P < 0.05) according to the increase in dietary GAA levels. The number of spermatozoa present in the vitelline membrane was not affected (P > 0.05) by the treatments, but there was a quadratic effect (P < 0.05) of the levels of GAA on fertility, embryonic mortality, and egg hatchability, with the best results estimated at 0.13, 0.15, and 0.14% GAA, respectively. The creatine levels of the pectoral muscle in newborn quails showed a quadratic effect (P ≤ 0.07), and the dietary GAA level of 0.11% was estimated to maximize the muscular creatine level in the progeny. There was a quadratic effect (P < 0.05) of GAA levels on weight gain and feed conversion of progeny at 35 d of age with an optimization point of 0.14% GAA for these variables. Dietary GAA supplementation of meat-type quail breeders increases the availability of creatine in eggs and muscle of progeny, which results in better reproductive parameters and better postnatal progeny performance.
authors: Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790 Bloco j45, Maringá, Paraná, 87020-900, Brazil aemurakami@uem.br.
authors: A E
authors: AE
authors: Murakami
authors: Evonik Degussa Ltda Brazil, Al. Campinas, 579 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, 01404-000, Brazil.
authors: R J B
authors: RJ
authors: Rodrigueiro
authors: Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790 Bloco j45, Maringá, Paraná, 87020-900, Brazil.
authors: T C
authors: TC
authors: Santos
authors: Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790 Bloco j45, Maringá, Paraná, 87020-900, Brazil.
authors: I C
authors: IC
authors: Ospina-Rojas
authors: Evonik Industries AG, 63457 Hanau-Wolfgang, Germany.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Rademacher
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange / Q000662:veterinary; D003370:Coturnix / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005998:Glycine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C004946:glycocyamine; D005998:Glycine
keywords: creatine; guanidinoacetic acid; progeny; reproductive performance