Comparison of some biomechanical properties of tibiotarsus in four different feather color lines of 60-day old female quails

Abstract

This study aimed to compare some morphological and mechanical measurements of four different color female quails to contribute to the formation of the morphological database.Quails are the smallest farmed avian species which are becoming more important for the poultry industry. They are also used as experimental animals and are valuable birds for researches. Genetic factors are important determinants of bone strength. Thus, skeletal disorders may be reduced by breeding selection in quails. Forty female quails with four different feather colors, including wild, white, yellow, and black, were compared at 60 days of age. Each quail group contained ten individuals. A three-point bending test was performed with a custom-made testing machine designed for low strength materials. No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of body weight. The tibiotarsus weight in wild and black (0,665 +/- 0,055g and 0,687 +/- 0,025g, respectively) was significantly lower than in the others but, the significant highest value was in white quails (0,758 +/- 0,063g) (p=0.001). Significantly shorter tibiotarsus was observed in the black quails (51,286 +/- 1,374mm), while the tibiotarsi of the white and yellow quails were the tallest (53,216 +/- 1,796mm and 53,083 +/- 1,092mm, respectively) (p=0.005). There were no significant differences among the groups in the biomechanical properties of tibiotarsus, except stiffness. Stiffness was the highest in the white quails (109,500 +/- 3,807 N/mm) and the lowest in the black quails (99,000 +/- 9,498 N/mm) (p=0.042). In conclusion, white quails have been observed to have relatively better bone biomechanical properties compared to the other color groups at 60 days of age.