DOI: 10.25338/b8fm0q
title: Heat stress effects on Japanese quail production and iSTAT

description: Heat-stressed Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) can experience
 blood acid-base disequilibrium and electrolyte disregulation. This
 disequilibrium may influence egg-shell quality, enzyme functions, and
 synthesis of tissue proteins. To determine effects of multi-generation
 heat stress on Japanese quail, the following treatments were applied (1)
 control (TN, non-sibling random mating at thermoneutral temperature
 [22.2°C]); (2) thermoneutral siblings (22.2°C, TNS); (3) heat stress (HS,
 non-sibling random mating at 31.1°C); and (4) heat stressed siblings (HSS,
 siblings of TNS with high feed conversion ratios (FCR), 31.1°C). Body
 weights (BW), blood gases, and electrolytes of quail were measured during
 the first 4 hours (acute) and after 3 weeks (chronic) of heat exposure
 (31.1°C) in generation 10 of the above-mentioned treatments. Statistical
 significance was determined at P ≤ 0.05. Models included treatments,
 length of exposure, sex, and their interactions. Results showed that acute
 and chronic heat stress at 31.1°C did not have a clear effect on blood
 electrolytes, acid-base regulation, and oxygen transport. Across
 treatments, sexes, lengths of exposure, and their interactions, acute HSS
 males or females were significantly different than chronic TN males in BW,
 PCO2, PO2, sO2, and Na+. Chronic HS males and females did not have
 significantly different blood electrolytes, acid-base regulation, and
 oxygen transport than chronic HSS males and females. Thus, selection for
 low FCR in heat stress at 31.1°C did not incur a fitness advantage when
 considering these parameters. Sexually mature males had significantly
 higher levels of hematocrit and hemoglobin than sexually immature quail
 and sexually mature females. Future studies using higher temperatures
 (32–34°C) could inform producers when to expect significant physiological
 changes in quail, lending to adaptions of feeding regiments according to
 environmental temperature and age.
description: FCR dataset Body weight
 of birds was taken when sexual dimorphisms were apparent and birds were
 singularly caged. Approximately half were male and half were
 female.  Feeders were placed outside of the cages
 with lids to prevent feed spillage.  Feed intake was
 taken daily at the same time in the morning before quails began eating to
 obtain the 24-hour feed intake.  After 7 days, body
 weight of birds was taken again. 
 Performance dataset Non-sibling
 male and female pairs were placed in the same cage to mate. 
 Eggs were collected and marked with the maternal wingband number
 from each pair every morning before the temperature increased in the
 temperature-controlled chambers which housed the birds.
 Eggs were collected for 2 weeks. Collected
 eggs were placed in a 12.78˚C chamber until all eggs were incubated
 together. At days 9, 11, 13, and 15 of incubation, 20
 eggs were cracked open for tissue collection; however, abnormalities in
 development such as early embryo death, late embryo death,
 deformation/twins, and cracked eggs were noted. 
 Percentages of each abnormality were calculated. 
 iSTAT dataset Singularly
 caged birds were handled no more than 2 times.  Birds
 were fasted for approximately 1 hour and weighed before blood draw from
 the jugular vein. Fresh, whole blood (100µL) was
 applied to the iSTAT CG8+ cartridge immediately after drawing to detect
 electrolytes, blood gases, glucose, hematocrit, and
 hemoglobin.  The cartridge was analyzed using the
 VetScan iSTAT-1 handheld blood analyzer. 
description: Microsoft Excel RStudio
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