Effect of Varying Protein Levels and Preservation Methods and Duration on Egg Production Performance and External Egg Qualities of Japanese Quails in a Semi-Arid Environment

The study was conducted to determine the effect of varying protein levels and preservation method on external egg qualities of Japanese quails. A total of 180 birds were randomly allotted into three dietary treatments in a completely randomized design (CRD) replicated six times. A factorial arrangement of 3 × 4 × 4 which involves 3 protein levels (15, 20 and 25% crude protein), 4 storage methods and 4 time intervals was designed to determine the effect of storage methods on external egg quality characteristics. The birds were fed diets containing 15, 20 and 25% crude protein in treatment 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The trial lasted for 10 weeks during which egg production, egg weight and external egg qualities were monitored. The egg weight, hen day and hen house egg production were significantly higher for quails fed diet containing 25% crude protein. There was significant effect of protein level on egg width, height and shell thickness (P