Use of iron-biofortified cassava leaves in terms of performance parameters and egg quality in quails

When iron-biofortified cassava leaf flour (IBCLF) with higher bioavailability is obtained and supplemented in quail feed, performance characteristics and egg quality yield promising results. The study aimed to investigate the use of IBCLF in the supplementation of feed for laying quails at three different levels (50 mg kg¯¹ ; 100 mg kg¯¹; 150 mg kg¯¹ ), with the goal of formulating and preparing feed for the laying quails. The performance and mortality of quails in the production phase (egg weight (PO, g), laying index (POST, %), egg mass (MO, g), average feed intake per bird (CRMD, g), feed conversion per dozen eggs (CA: DZ), feed conversion per kilogram of feed consumed (CA: kg) and mortality index (MORT, %)) were evaluated. For eggs, the internal and external quality of eggs from quails fed with a ration containing IBCLF  as yolk percentage (%G), yolk index (IG), albumen percentage (%A), Haugh unit (UH), shell percentage (%Cas), shell thickness (ECas) and specific gravity (GE) were evaluated. It was concluded that diets with IBCLF, yielding higher values compared to a diet in which the iron content comes only from the ingredients without supplementation, can be used in the feeding of laying quails in production, as it did not negatively influence performance, mortality, or the internal and external quality of the eggs.