Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, 12613, Giza, Egypt.
Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2022 Jan 28;54(1):83. doi: 10.1007/s11250-022-03083-0.
The quail populations are considered to be one of the largest among the poultry species. Although quail egg and meat production are growing rapidly, still, quail farming practices and welfare aspects are not well established. Stocking density is one of the factors that can significantly affect the welfare, health, and performance of birds, but according to The Expert Group for Technical Advice on Organic Production, no allowed space standards have been reported for new hybrids and different breeds of quail. This review presents an overview of 1) the benefits of egg and meat of quail, 2) the global market of quail products, 3) the factors affecting the stocking density rate, and 4) the effects of stocking density rates and housing systems on the social behavior, welfare, physiological indices, and performance parameters of broiler and laying quail. Conclusively, larger space and enriched aviaries reduce aggressive behavior, and improve the quail welfare and immunological indices. However, the effect of stocking density on some blood biochemical indices and growth performance parameters showed mixed results. A better understanding of the relationship between housing, health, growth performance, and welfare aspects would assist in the implementation of welfare-economic standards for quail production. According to available data, stocking density ranges for broiler and laying Japanese quail are suggested; however, these stocking rates should be tested under different conditions.
鹌鹑种群被认为是家禽物种中最大的种群之一。尽管鹌鹑蛋和肉的产量增长迅速，但鹌鹑养殖实践和福利方面仍未得到很好的建立。饲养密度是一个可以显著影响鸟类福利、健康和性能的因素，但根据有机生产技术咨询专家组的报告，对于新杂交品种和不同品种的鹌鹑，没有规定允许的空间标准。本综述概述了以下内容：1）鹌鹑蛋和肉的益处，2）鹌鹑产品的全球市场，3）影响饲养密度的因素，以及 4）饲养密度和饲养系统对肉鸡和蛋鸡的社会行为、福利、生理指标和生产性能参数的影响。总之，更大的空间和丰富的禽舍可以减少攻击性行为，提高鹌鹑的福利和免疫指数。然而，饲养密度对一些血液生化指标和生长性能参数的影响结果不一。更好地了解饲养、健康、生长性能和福利方面之间的关系，将有助于实施鹌鹑生产的福利-经济标准。根据现有数据，建议为肉鸡和蛋鸡日本鹌鹑设定饲养密度范围；然而，这些饲养密度应该在不同的条件下进行测试。
