Evaluation of Coturnix (Japanese Quail) as Pilot Animal for Poultry

Abstract

RESEARCH work in poultry is often handicapped by limits in budget, time, and space. Some of these problems might be alleviated by using Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) as a pilot animal for the more expensive experiments on chickens or turkeys. The use of pilot animals in poultry research is not a new idea. Drosophila (fruit flies) and Tribolium (flour beetles) have been used in genetic studies (Bell et al., 1955; and Clayton and Robertson, 1957); Drosophila has also been used in controlled selection experiments with media deficient in important nutrients (Sang, 1959). Tenebrio, another flour beetle, has been used by some in nutrition studies for many years (Fraenkel, 1951). These insects differ from the fowl in many important features, none having a close physiological resemblance to fowl. In addition, certain types of study are not possible with insects. Bantam chickens have been advocated for pilot studies by some (Lucky…