The crude protein and metabolizable energy requirement for weight gain, body weight, feed consumption, and feed consumption : weight gain ratio during three periods (7- 21; 21-42 and 7-42days of age) of the growing phase of meat type quail (EV1) were estimated in a completely randomized design, with eight treatments and six replicates of 12 quails per experimental unit. The treatments consisted in a factorial combination 4 x 2 (22, 24, 26 e 28% PB x 2900 e 3100kcal de EM/kg). Body weight and weight gain from 7 to 21 days of age were quadratic affected by protein level of diets. Feed consumption linearly decreased with the increasing of diet energetic level. Feed: weight gain ratio increased linearly with crude protein level and decreased with metabolizable energy level of diets. Body weight at 42 days of age was not affected by metabolizable energy and crude protein levels of the diets. From 7 to 42 days of age the protein and metabolizable energy of diets did not affect quail body weight and feed: weight gain ratio. Quails fed on 2900kcal of EM/kg of diet showed higher feed consumption in comparison to quails fed on 3100kcal of EM/kg diets. Maximum performance of EV1 quails are reached in diets with 27% of crude protein (CP) and 2900kcal of ME/kg of diet in the initial period (7-21 days of age) and 22% of CP and 2900kcal of ME/kg of diet in the whole period (7-42 days of age).
meat type quail; protein; energy; performance
