This study was conducted in the poultry farm at Department of Animal Production - college of agriculture / Kirkuk University during the period from 1/7/2016 to 3/6/2016. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of physical form of mash, crumble and their mixture on the performance and quality characteristics of the Japanese female quail eggs. One hundred of the Japanese quail's female chicks at 115 days-old were randomly distributed into five treatments and by five replications/ each group of bird were detained in (40L×30W×20H) battery cages with four birds per group. The birds were fed with different dietary treatments (T): T1 (control): 100% the diet in mash form, T2: 75% mash form diet with 25% crumble form diet, T3: 50% mash form diet with 50% crumble form diet, T4: 25% mash form diet and 75% crumble form diet, and the T5: 100% of the diet was as crumble form . The results of this study during the period (1-60 days) referred to a significant (P≤0.05) improvement in the egg production (H. D%) for the T4 and T5 when compared that with T1 (control). The physical form of the diet did not significantly effect on the egg weight between different treatments, while egg mass was significantly increased in T2,3,4 and 5 groups compared with the control group. There were no significant differences between the treatments in the average of the egg shape index, surface area, yolk weight, albumen (diameter, weight, height, and weight percentage), albumen index and egg HU value. In contrast, feed, energy, protein, and methionine conversion ratio significantly improved for the T3, T4 and T5 groups comparing with the control group where 100% of the diet physical form was mash. The feed, energy, protein, and methionine consumptions were significantly declined in T4, 5 groups when compared that with T1, 2, 3 groups. On other hand, the T1group showed significantly better eggshell thickness compared with than T4 and T5, while the average of yolk diameter for the T3 was significantly higher than T1 and T2 groups . The value of the yolk height for T1 and T2 groups were significantly greater than another groups: however, T1 group displayed superiority effect in the value of yolk index compared with T3, 4, 5 groups .
As a result, it is concluded that, the findings of the present study well demonstrate that 100% crumble feed form can be used in Japanese female quail diet .