The effects of organic chromium supplementation on production traits and some serum parameters of laying quails

This study was conducted to determine the effects of organic Cr supplementation on production traits and some serum parameters of laying quails. Fifty-three-days old laying quails were randomly divided into five groups of 45 birds per group. Corn-soybean meal based basal diet without additional Cr contained 1268.05 ppb Cr. The dietary treatments consisted of the supplementation of the basal diet with 0, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 ppb Cr supplied from Cr picolinate. All birds received feed and water ad libitum. Increasing organic Cr supplementation resulted in an increase egg production and also improved feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). Also egg, yolk and albumen weights increased linearly by dietary organic Cr inclusions (P<0.05), but Cr supplementation did not effect eggshell weight and eggshell thickness. However, serum glucose and cholesterol concentrations decreased, while chromium, insulin and total protein concentrations increased linearly as dietary Cr level increased (P<0.05). These data indicated that organic Cr supplementation increased performance traits, particularly egg production and feed conversion ratio, serum insulin concentrations, egg, yolk and albumen weights of laying quails.