The effect of partial substitution of plant protein by fishmeal prepared out of cooked and sun dried fish offal on feed intake and carcass traits of Rhode Island Red chicks

Effects of cooked and sun dried fish offal, fishmeal, on intake, growth and carcass traits of Rhode Island Red (RIR) chicks was evaluated at Wolayta Soddo, southern Ethiopia. After 14 days of uniform brooding of unsexed day old RIR chicks, a feeding trial, with 6 dietary groups (T1 to T6), 5 replicates each and 10 chicks per replicate, was run for 11 weeks when daily group feed intakes were recorded. Results showed that chicks fed T1 had significantly (p£ 0.01) lowest (68.5g dry matter (DM) , 13.3g crude protein (CP), 0.54g calcium (Ca), 0.35g phosphorus (P) and 231kcal metabolizable energy (ME) head-1) but those on T6 had the highest daily intakes (77g DM, 14.8g CP, 1.81g Ca, 0.58g P and 243kcal ME head-1). Slaughter weight was 1022g, 1234g, 1202g, 1295g, 1272g, and 1272g head-1 for T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6, respectively. Commercial carcass weight (breast + thighs + drum sticks + wings + back) of the control (552g/head) was significantly (p£ 0.01) lower than fishmeal groups (683g, 671g, 729g, 717g and 711g for T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6, respectively). Difference in weights of drum sticks, thighs, wings and back separately were significantly (p< 0.01) higher for fishmeal groups. Breast weight of T1 (160g) was significantly (p< 0.01) lower than T2 (196g), T3 (203g), T4 (219g), T5 (213) and T6 (217g). Total edible carcass weight, including skin, liver and gizzard of T1 was significantly lower (676g head-1, p£ 0.01) than the rest of the groups (837g, 807g, 874g, 860g and 850g head-1 for T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6, respectively). Significantly (p£ 0.05) lower Dressing % was obtained from T1 (54.0%) than T2 (55.3%), T3 (55.7%), T4 (56.2%), T5 (56.5%) and T6 (55.8%). Dressing percentage (on the basis of edible carcass) of T1 (66.1%) was also significantly (p£ 0.05) lower than T2 (67.8%), T3 (67.1%), T4 (67.5%), T5 (67.6%) and T6 (66.8%). Males had significantly (p< 0.01) higher slaughter weight (1294g) and carcass weight (721g) than females (1138g and 633g, respectively), but they had similar breast weights and dressing %. It can thus be concluded that fishmeal inclusion in to diets of growing RIR chicken up to the levels of 16.6% of the DM of the diet did not affect health or carcass traits; however, best results were obtained at 9.96%

The Effect of Inclusion Rate of Cooked and Sun-dried Fish Offal Meal on Feed Intake, Growth and Feed Efficiency of Rhode Island Red Chicks

The effects of feeding cooked and sun-dried fish offal meal (fishmeal) on feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion efficiency of RIR chicks were assessed at Wolayta Soddo, southern Ethiopia. Unsexed day-old RIR chicks (300) were brooded uniformly for 14 days and then vaccinated against Gumboro and Newcastle diseases. A feeding trial with 6 dietary groups, 5 replicates each and 10 chicks per replicate was run for 11 weeks and daily feed intake and weekly individual body weights were recorded. The control diet (T1) consisted of Fishmeal (0%), Maize (34.1%), wheat short+bran (21.0%), limestone (1.20%), salt (0.5%), premix (0.1%), lysine (0.05%), methioinine (0.05%), roasted soybean (27.0%) and noug cake (16.0%); the rest of the diets contained ingredients in the control plus fishmeal included at rates of 3.32%(T2), 6.64%(T3), 9.96%(T4), 13.28%(T5), and 16.6%(T6) of the diet replacing 7.6, 15.3, 22.9, 30.5 and 38.2% of the protein of the control diet. T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6 had 19.76, 18.89, 19.82, 18.44, 18.96 and 19.20 % CP, respectively. Chicks fed T1 had the lowest (p&lt;0.001) daily intakes (68.5 g DM, 13.3 g CP, 0.54 g Ca, 0.35 g P and 231kcal ME head-1) but those on T6 had the highest daily intakes (77 g DM, 14.8 g CP, 1.81 g Ca, 0.58 g P and 243 kcal ME head-1). Other groups fell in between these ranges. Higher (p&lt;0.01) mean daily body weight gains (MDBWG) were observed in fishmeal groups compared to the control. The MDBWG of T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 were 10.65 g, 13.14 g, 12.82 g, 13.46 g, 13.2 g, and 12.78 g head-1. MDBWG was significantly (p&lt;0.01) and positively affected by the age of the chicken up to 2.5 to 3 months but it declined from then onwards. Fishmeal groups utilized feed [6.03(T2), 6.12(T3), 5.83(T4), 6.03(T5) and 6.35(T6) g feed/g MDBWG] more efficiently (p&lt;0.01) than the control group (6.79 g feed/g MDBWG, T1). The feed conversion ratio decreased with advance in age. Differences in protein efficiency ratios (PER) were highly significant (p&lt;0.001) between fishmeal groups (1.025, 0.973, 1.098, 1.013 and 0.957 for T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6, respectively) and the control (T1, 0.901). Mortality of chicks was not encountered during the trial. Cooked and sun dried fish offal can be incorporated in up to 16.6% of the diets of growing RIR chickens without affecting intake and growth, however, best results were obtained at 9.96% inclusion level