Reproduction study in Japanese quail fed hexachlorobutadiene for 90 days

Abstract Adult male and female Japanese quail were fed diets containing 0.3, 3, 10, or 30 ppm of hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) or 20 ppm of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) for 90 days. HCBD at all dose levels had no effect on body weight, demeanor, food consumption, egg production, the percent fertility and hatchability of eggs, the survival of hatched chicks, and egg-shell thickness. The birds showed no evident signs of toxicity during the study. In addition, there were no gross or histopathologic changes evident in the organs or tissues of birds at the termination of the study which could be related to treatment. Ingestion of a diet containing 20 ppm HCB resulted in decreased survival of chicks hatched during the study and an increase in the liver weight of adult birds at the end of the study. No other treatmentrelated changes were observed.