The effects of dietary L-carnitine supplementation on semen traits, reproductive parameters, and testicular histology of Japanese quail breeders

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of supplemental dietary L-carnitine at different levels on semen traits, reproductive parameters, and testicular histology in male Japanese quail breeders. Forty-five 5-wk-old male Japanese quail breeders were fed the same basal diet that was supplemented with 0 (control), 250, or 500 mg of L-carnitine/kg of diet. There were no significant effects of dietary L-carnitine supplementation at different levels on BW, feed intake, testes weight, fertility rate, hatchability rate of set and fertile eggs, and malonaldehyde production (mu g/mL of semen) of male Japanese quail breeders. However, the supplementation of dietary L-carnitine at levels of 250 or 500 mg/kg to a basal diet significantly increased sperm viability and decreased multinucleated giant cells per testes in mature male Japanese quail breeders. Additional studies are required to explore the antioxidant role that L-carnitine has in Japanese quail breeders.