EVALUTION OF POULTRY VISCERAL OFFAL AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR FISH MEAL IN GROWER PULLETS’ DIETS

Abstract

The effect of replacing fish meal (FM) with graded level of poultry visceral offal meal (PVOM) in five growers pullets^’ diets were investigated in a 4 - weeks study using 200 Isa brown  pullets from 14 to 18 weeks of age. There were four replicate per test diet, with 10 birds per replicate. Diet A (control) contained 4% FM as the sole source of dietary animal protein. PVOM was included in diets B,C,D and E at the levels of 1.81,2.37,3.55 and 4.73% of the diets to supply 25, 50, 75 and 100% of animal protein supplied by 4% FM in the control diet A respectively. All the test diets were isocaloric (11.8MJ ME/kg) and isonitrogenous (16% CP). There was no significant effect (p>0.05) of replacing dietary FM with PVOM (on an equal protein basis) on the performance parameters measured. Birds fed on diets A,B,C,D and E had similar (p>0.05) mean daily weight gains of 14.16, 13.66, 14.65, 13.35 and 13.84g/b d respectively. The mean daily feed consumption values were 73.61, 73.27,73.88, 72.10 and 71.76g/b d for the birds on diets A,B,C,D and E respectively while similar mean feed conversion ratios of 5.21, 5.45,5.04, 5.42 and 5.21were also recorded for the birds on diet A,B,C,D and E respectively. It is concluded that PVOM could replace FM completely on an equal protein basics in grower pullets diets. Cost of feed per unit of weight gain was lower on the PVOM-based diet than on the FM-based diet.