The study aimed at comparing the effects of the supplementation of natural antioxidant sources to a reduced crude protein diet on the performance, carcass traits, blood parameters, liver antioxidant enzyme activities and meat lipid peroxidation of Japanese quails exposed to heat stress. A total of 640 14-day-old male Japanese quails were exposed to two different temperature treatments (TT): thermoneutral (TN) or heat stress (HS)and were fed five different dietary treatments (DTs). A normal-protein diet (SCP) was formulated according to the National Research Council (24% CP). The reduced crude protein diet (RCP) was formulated to contain 3% less protein than that of the SCP diet. Three additional diets were prepared by supplementing the RCP with200 mg/kg of α-tocopherol acetate (RCP+TA200), pomegranate peel extract (RCP+PPE200) or apple peel extract (RCP+APE200). HS significantly deteriorated the growth performance of quails throughout the experiment. Quails fed the SCP and RCP+PPE200 presented higher hematocrit values. Feeding the RCP+TA200 and RCP+PPE200 diets reduced the blood heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio compared with the other diets. Quails fed the SCP, RCP+TA200, RCP+PPE200 and RCP+APE200 diets presented higher liver catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities, plasma uric acid level, and lower meat malondialdehyde value at 7days of age compared with those fed the RCP diet. In conclusion, the results show that the extracts of pomegranate peel and apple peel can be used as alternative natural antioxidant sources to vitamin E in the diets of Japanese quails exposed to heat stress and fed a reduced crude protein diet.

Ülkemizde her gün binlerce buzağı doğmakta ancak önemli bir kısmı bakım ve besleme koşullarının yetersizliği nedeni ile ölmekte ya da verimsiz kalmaktadır. Sığır işletmelerinin yaklaşık gelirlerinin % 40 kadar kısmını buzağıdan, geri kalan kısmını ise sütten elde edildiği kabul edilmektedir. Bir sığırcılık işletmesinin karlı olabilmesi için yılda inek başına 1 yavru alınması hedeflenmektedir. Sığırcılık işletmelerinde yeni doğan buzağılar, yaşamlarının ilk zamanlarında çok hassas bir döneme sahiptirler. Doğumdan sonra buzağı için ilk ve en önemli besin-gıda ağız sütüdür (kolostrum). Ağız sütünün içerdiği zengin besin maddeleri, vitaminler ve mineraller sayesinde buzağının yaşamının ilk günlerinde ihtiyaç duyduğu bağışıklık siteminin güçlü olmasını sağlamaktadır. Bundan dolayı sığır işletmelerinde yeni doğan buzağılar, ileride sürünün devamlılığını sağlayacaklarından buzağı evresindeki bakım ve beslenmesine çok dikkat edilmelidir.

This study evaluated the growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of male Alpine and Saanen goat kids raised under standardized fattening conditions to inform breed-specific strategies for meat production. The study included 36 single-born male kids (18 Alpine and 18 Saanen purebreds) of similar age and live weight. The animals were allocated by breed and randomly assigned to three replicates per breed, with six animals in each replicate. After a two-week adaptation period, the kids were fattened for 12 weeks on an 80:20 concentrate–roughage diet. At the end of the fattening period, all animals were slaughtered, and physical, sensory, and chemical analyses of the meat were performed on the Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle. Final live weights did not differ significantly between Alpine and Saanen kids, nor did average daily gains. However, the feed conversion ratio favored the Saanen breed, indicating superior feed efficiency. Alpine kids had significantly higher internal fat content, while Saanen kids had a higher proportion of full intestines. Meat pH, color, and texture were similar between breeds. Fatty acid analysis showed that Alpine meat had higher palmitic and palmitoleic acid content, whereas Saanen meat contained more calcium and sodium. These results suggest that both breeds are suitable for high-quality meat production under controlled feeding conditions, but breed-specific differences in fat composition and mineral content may affect nutritional value and market positioning. These findings are valuable for optimizing selection and marketing strategies in goat meat production systems targeting diverse consumer demands.