Studies with Fish Meal as the Sole Source of Protein for the Growing Chick: 1. Effect of Different Supplements on Growth and Feed Efficiency

Abstract

FISH meal is highly regarded as a protein source for the growing chick. It is often described as a balanced protein capable of producing the maximum rate of growth as the sole source of protein for the chick. Little, if any, evidence is available that could be used to support such a claim. There is much more evidence that growth rate of chicks fed fish meal as the sole protein source is suboptimal. It has been known for sometime (Maynard and Tunison, 1932; Schneider, 1932) that improper processing methods caused a decrease in protein quality of fish meals. Studies with fish meal involving its use as a supplemental protein have usually shown it to be of high nutritional value. In studies when fish meal was the only source of protein, results indicating low biological value related to processing may have been caused by imbalances of amino acids or other factors.