C.S. Shaffner
E. F. Hill
1976
<p><span>Japanese quail </span><i>(Coturnix c. japonica)</i><span> were fed 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 p.p.m. Hg as mercuric chloride (HgCl</span><sub>2</sub><span>) from the time of hatching up to the age of 1 year. None of the birds manifested any gross signs of mercury poisoning. Food consumption, growth rate, and weight maintenance were unaffected. Initial oviposition tended to occur at a younger age as dietary mercuric chloride increased, e.g., the median age at which egg laying began among hens fed 32 p.p.m. Hg was 6 days younger than for controls. The average rate of egg production was positively related to the concentration of mercuric chloride with the most pronounced differences between treatments occurring among young (<9-week-old) hens. Beyond 9 weeks of age egg production was more uniform among the treatments, but even after 1 year hens on 32 p.p.m. Hg were laying an average of 13.5% more eggs than controls. Rate of egg fertilization was generally depressed for all Hg-treatments above 4 p.p.m. Hatchability of fertilized eggs and eggshell thickness appeared unaffected by mercuric chloride.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.3382/ps.0551449
en
Elsevier
Sexual maturation and productivity of Japanese quail fed graded concentrations of mercuric chloride
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