In a study to establish total lysine requirement for growing japanese quails, 400 female quails 7.3 g + 0.3 g mean body weight were used from one to 42 days of age. A completely randomized experimental design was adopted, with five treatments and four replicates, with 20 birds per experimental unit. The treatments were five total lysine levels in the diet (0.90 %; 1.05%; 1.20%; 1.35% and 1.50%). The evaluated data were: daily feed intake (g/ bird/ day); total feed intake (g/ bird/ period); body weight (g/ bird); total body weight gain (g/ bird/ period); feed conversion rate (g of feed intake / g of weight gain); mortality (% / period) and uniformity (% / period). The growing curve of the quails fed each total lysine level studied was also described. There was no statistical significant effect for all the evaluated data (P > 0.05). The level of 0.90% total lysine in 20.70% crude protein diet met the requirement of japanese quails during growing period, equivalent to a daily total lysine intake of 96.9 mg/ bird.
Growing curve; japanese quail; lysine; nutritional requirement
