The effect of using different levels of fish meal in Broiler diets on the growth performance and carcass traits

Abstract EN

Fish meals have been regarded as good supplemental nutrient for poultry, especially due to the high quantity and quality of the protein it supplies.

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of fish meal on broiler growth performance and on carcass traits.

10 chicks, 7 days old Hubbard (unsexed) were assigned to each of 3 replicates of 4 treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4) containing 0, 2, 4 and 6 % fish meal respectively, having approx.

21 % Starter and 18% Grower crude protein.

Chick final live weights, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined on a weekly basis for 35 days, and at 36 days of age 3 chicks per treatment were killed and carcass and organs were weighed.

The results showed no significant differences between the birds getting fish meal in diet and the birds of the control diet without fish meal, regarding the investigated parameters of growth and carcass performance.

In this experiment it was found that birds with a high proportion of fish meal in the diet (4 and 6% / kg) over the whole experimental period proved significantly (P<0.05) higher final live weight, weight gain, feed intake and carcass weight (g/bird) compared to birds with a lower proportion of fish meal in the diet (2%).