Vet World   Vol.18   October-2025  Article - 15 

Phytobiotic-enriched multiphase feeding improves growth and reproductive performance in Manchurian quails: Evidence from controlled farm trials in Kazakhstan

Background and Aim: Manchurian quails are valued in commercial poultry farming for their early meat maturity, rapid generational turnover, and high egg-laying potential. However, concerns over antibiotic use in feed have heightened inter­est in sustainable alternatives such as phytobiotics. Despite evidence supporting phytogenic feed additives, limited studies have examined their effects in Manchurian quails under multiphase feeding regimens. This study evaluated the effects of phytobiotic-enriched, extruded feeds (BioFeed-P) across three feeding phases (“Starter,” “Grower,” and “Layer”) on growth performance, egg productivity, and product quality in Manchurian quails.

Materials and Methods: A total of 1600 1-day-old quails were randomly allocated into experimental group (EG) and con­trol group (CG) at two commercial farms (JEBE; Zhailybayev Experimental Breeding Enterprise and ECO-KO; Ecological Cooperative Kazakhstan Organization)in Kazakhstan. EG received phytobiotic-enriched multiphase feeds, whereas CG was provided standard commercial diets. Growth rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), survivability, and egg production were mea­sured over a 90-day period. Product quality was assessed by analyzing egg morphology, chemical composition, and mineral profiles. Statistical analyses included the Student’s t-test, correlation analysis, and determination of effect size.

Results: Quails in EG showed significantly higher body weight gain (186.3 g vs. 135.3 g; relative gain 415.5% vs. 297.5%; p = 0.003, Cohen’s d = 1.12) and improved FCR (2.05 vs. 2.45; p = 0.001). Egg-laying intensity was greater in EG at both ECO-KO (64.4% vs. 41.3%; p = 0.004) and JEBE (69.0% vs. 40.0%; p = 0.003). Egg morphology showed modest changes: Heavier albumen, reduced shell weight, and lighter yolk pigmentation. Chemical analyses revealed slight decreases in pro­tein and fat fractions accompanied by minor increases in carbohydrate and ash content, while the mineral composition remained stable. Mortality was lower in EG (3.8% vs. 7.7%), with no adverse health effects.

Conclusion: Phytobiotic-enriched multiphase feeds significantly enhance growth efficiency and reproductive output in Manchurian quails without compromising mineral egg quality. These findings support phytobiotics as sustainable alter­natives to antibiotics in commercial quail farming. Future research should include long-term reproductive assessments, economic cost–benefit analyses, and molecular studies to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Keywords: egg production, feed additives, growth performance, phytobiotics, quail farming, sustainable poultry nutrition.

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How to cite this article: Zhanabayeva D, Aitkozhina B, Abulgazimova G, Senkebayeva D, Kadraliyeva B, Ruzmatov S, and Zhanabayev A (2025) Phytobiotic-enriched multiphase feeding improves growth and reproductive performance in Manchurian quails: Evidence from controlled farm trials in Kazakhstan, Veterinary World, 18(10): 3120-3134.

Received: 07-07-2025   Accepted: 29-09-2025   Published online: 26-10-2025

Corresponding author: Botagoz Aitkozhina    E-mail: botagoz_aitkozhina@mail.ru

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.3120-3134

Copyright: Zhanabayeva, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.