EFFECTS OF REPLACING FISH MEAL WITH POULTRY BY-PRODUCT MEAL ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE FEED UTILIZATION AND WHOLE BODY COMPOSITION OF AFRICAN CATFISH (CLARIAS GRAIEPINUS)

Hussein, M.S¹; Al-Azab, A.A¹; Mohammad H. Ahmad² and Abo-Hashem, A.M²

1
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.

2 Fish Nutrition Department, Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Agriculture Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt.

Received 1/ 1/ 2013 Accepted 5/ 2/ 2013

Abstract

A 14 – week feeding trial was contacted in semantic pond to evaluate the use of poultry by-product meal (PBM) in practical diets for African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings (40.5 g ±0 .56) as replaced for fish meal. Five isonitrogenous diets (30 % protein) were formulated in which poultry by-product (PBM) replaced 0.0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the protein supplied by herring fish meal (HFM). Fish were fed daily the tested diets at the rate of 3% of body weight. Feed was offered 6 days a week, 2 times a day (9.00 and 14.00). At the end of the feeding trial, fish growth indicated as final weight, weight gain, weight gain % and specific growth rate was insignificantly decreased up to 75 % poultry by-product meal (PBM) (P>0.05), while the lowest growth recorded in fish group fed 100 % poultry by-product meal (PBM) with insignificant differences (P>0.05). No significant difference in survival rate was observed due to the increment in poultry by-product meal (PBM) level in the tested diets. Feed intake was significantly decreased, while feed conversion ratio increased due to the increment in poultry by-product meal (PBM) level in the tested diets. Protein efficiency ratios were significantly decreased due to the increment in poultry by-product meal (PBM) level in the tested diets. No significant changes were observed in dry matter, crude protein, total lipids and ash in fish body composition at all tested diets compared with control diet. These results support the use of poultry by-product meal (PBM) as an important animal protein source to replace HFM protein up to 75 % in practical diet for African catfish fingerlings.

Key words: poultry by-products (PBM), Fish meal (HFM), African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), economic Evaluation, growth rate, feed utilization, whole body composition.