Thesis (MPhil (Agrisciences)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa quail do not have the same status as an agricultural produce as do other livestock species. As quail has mostly been judged as a cute little bird seen on shows, very few people have paid attention to the commercial value of this bird specie. In South Africa quail farming is done on a very limited scale, but competition regarding this very unique market is already challenging. If it is to be a viable project it is of utmost importance to limit the costs to the minimum and, by doing so, increasing the profitability of the project. In this study the economic aspects of a quail production unit was researched to assess whether any improvements in profitability could be made. Quails from a production unit outside Stellenbosch were used to describe the growth curves of these birds under three different diet regimes. 300 Birds were used and then divided into groups of a hundred. The first treatment was fed the standard starter (22% protein) then after five weeks a finisher (19% protein). The second treatment was fed a starter ration containing 40% Soya oil cake and 60% of the standard starter (27.2% protein). The same finisher as in treatment one was fed to treatment two after five weeks. Treatment three was fed a newly formulated starter ration (28% protein). The same finisher was fed to treatment three after five weeks as with the first two treatments. It was found that treatments one and two differed significantly from treatment three, but not from each other. It was expected that treatment three would result in better growth than treatment one, but contrariwise, treatment three did the worst. In accordance with literature it was found that under commercial conditions quail could be fed lower concentrations of protein than prescribed by literature. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: As 'n landbouproduk het kwartels in Suid-Afrika nie dieselfde status as ander lewende hawe nie. Omdat kwartels merendeels gesien is as 'n oulike klein voeltjie op skoue, het weinig mense enige aandag gegee aan die kommersiele waarde van kwartels. Alhoewel kwartelboerdery in Suid-Afrika huidiglik slegs op 'n baie klein skaal bedryf word, is kompetisie in hierdie nismark reeds kompeterend en uitdagend. Om so 'n boerdery ekonomies vatbaar te maak en hoe profyt marges te handhaaf, is dit van wesenlike belang om insetkostes tot die minimum te beperk. In hierdie studie is ekonomiese aspekte van 'n kwartel produksie eenheid nagevors om sodoende te kon bepaal op watter aspekte, indien enige, gekonsentreer kan word om wins marges te verhoog. Kwartels van 'n produksie eenheid buite Stellenbosch is gebruik. Hierdie kwartels is op drie verskillende diete geplaas en afsonderlik ge-evalueer om die groeikurwes op elke dieet te bepaal. Driehonderd kwartels is in groepe van honderd elk verdeel. Die eerste groep se dieet het bestaan uit die standaard beginners groeimeel wat deur Meadows vervaardig word (22% proteren), en is na vyf weke afgerond na 'n afrondings dieet (19% proteren). Die tweede groep se dieet was dieselfde beginners dieet as in groep een wat met 40% Soya oliekoek gemeng is (totale proteren inhoud van 27.2%). Daar is na vyf weke oorgeslaan na dieselfde afrondings dieet as in groep een. Die derde dieet het bestaan uit 'n nuut geformuleerde beginners dieet (28% proteren). Weereens is daar na vyf weke oorgeslaan na dieselfde afrondings dieet as in die vorige twee groepe. Daar is gevind dat die groeikurwes van diete een en twee beduidend verskil het van dieet drie, maar daar was nie 'n beduidende verskil tussen groepe een en twee nie. Alhoewel daar verwag is dat dieet drie 'n beter groeikurwe sou toon as dieet een, was dit egter nie die geval nie. Dieet drie het egter die swakste groeikurwe getoon. Daar is dus gevind dat kwartels onder kommersiele toestande laer konsentrasies proteren gevoer kan word as wat algemeen voorgeskryf word.

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Manipulation of dietary zinc produced a different body zinc status in male Japanese quail during 3 weeks of treating period. After intramuscular injection with 8μmol/100g body weight of estradiol-17β, Japanese quail were sacrificed and vitellogenin (phosphoprotein) production was assessed in these birds by analyzing plasma for protein-bound phosphorus concentrations (PBP). Plasma PBP concentrations of estrogen-injected male quails increased from undetectable values for control birds to O.66mg/ml for high-zinc birds and O.42mg/ml for low-zinc birds. About 36% loss of vitellogenin synthesis was associated with the consumption of the zinc-deficient diet. Plasma zinc concentrations also increased on the estrogen injection because of the zinc-binding property of vitellogenin. The extra zinc ions in the plasma were considered to be come from the body zinc pools. Liver as well as other major tissues was believed to act as a reservoir of zinc for egg development but it was not observed that liver was the major source of the extra zinc in the plasma. / Master of Science