Potential of using unconventional animal protein ingredients to replace fish meal in Nile tilapia diets

The study was performed to evaluate the partial replacement of fish meal by unconventional animal protein ingredients; feather meal [FM] and/or rabbit manure [RM] in Nile tilapia diets. Fish were fed for 15 weeks on six isonitrogenous and isocaloric experimental diets. The control group diet contained fish meal, whereas the other five groups received diets in which fish meal was partially replaced by incorporation of [7.5-15%] FM or [7.5-15%] RM or [7.5 and 7.5%] FM and RM respectively. Incorporation of FM at both levels [7.5-15%] in Nile tilapia diets decreased body weight gain, feed intake and reduced the digestibility of DM and CP. RM at levels of [7.5-15]% increased fish body weight gain, feed intake, protein intake and improved digestibility of DM and CP. Feed conversion ratio [FCR], specific growth rate [SGR], protein intake and protein efficiency ratio [PER] were decreased by incorporation of 7.5% FM in fish diet. Meanwhile 7.5% RM resulted in an increase of FCR and improve PCR, while 15% RM increased SGR. A combination of 7.5% FM and 7.5%RM achieved' best DM and CP retention and highest CP content in body composition. The lowest nutrient retention, CP content of fish body and dressing% were recorded in groups fed FM containing diets. Conclusively, the present results suggested that FM and RM could be included safely in Nile tilapia diets to reduce feed cost. Partial replacement of fish meal by incorporation of RM in the diet of Nile tilapia achieved the best growth performance

Impact of fish meal replacement by uncounentional ingradients on performance of Nile telepia

The effect of partial or total replacing fish meal with dried rumen content [RC] and or Azolla meal [AM] in diets of Nile tilapia of initial weight [7.35g +/- 0.23] was investigated in 12-week experiment. Eight experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric. Beside the basal diet, each of RC and AM were incorporated at levels of 5, 10 and 15%. A combination of 5% RC and 5% AM [RC-AM] was served to replace 10% fish meal. The control group achieved the significant highest final body weight gain, protein efficiency and food conversion ratio followed by the group fed 10% RC. Azolla incorporation failed to improve any of the performance parameters. The group fed 15% AM was the worth regarding performance parameters, CP and EE retention of final body composition and dietary CP digestibility. The group fed a combination of 5% RC and 5% AM sustained intermediate pattern among treated groups with improved in FCR [4.05]. The results indicate some benefits from replacing dietary 10% fish meal with either 10% RC or a combination of RC-AM on Nile tilapia performance as well as reducing feed cost

Effects of diets experimentally molded with penicillium and fusarium species on the performance, carcass characteristics and body composition of broiler chickens

Sixty feed samples were collected from commercial sources and subjected to mycological examination. The isolated fungi were: Penicillium [P] citrinum and P. viridicatum; Fusarium [F] solane, F. tricinctum, F. fusaroides, Yeast species, Asperigillus flavus, Asp. niger, Asp. fumigatus, Asp. parasiticus, Mucor, and Rhizopus. The effects of diets experimentally molded with Penicillium citrinum, Fusarium solane at levels that could be encountered in broiler diets under field conditions were investigated in Lohmann broiler chickens. Forty eight day-old chicks were randomly divided into 6 equal groups. Each group of chicks received one out of 6 different diets during the starting and finishing periods as follows: 1] nonautoclaved diet 2] non-autoclaved + Penicillium citrinum. [P] 3] nonautoclaved + Fusarium solane [F] 4] autoclaved 5] autoclaved + P. citrinum. 6] autoclaved + F. solane. P. and F organisms were inoculated in diets at a conctration of 10[3] org.s/g of diet. The measured parameters comprised body weight development, food conversion ratio, mortalities, dressed carcass, meat and edible organs [liver, gizzard, kidney, heart, spleen] weights of live-weight percentage, proximate chemical composition of both whole [intact] chicken and dressed chicken carcasses in different group. Feeding of P-and F-molded diets resulted in a marked decrease in the finishing body weight of chickens with the greatest depressing effect recorded in chickens fed on P-molded diets. Poor food conversion ratio was exhibited by groups of chickens fed either P-or F-molded diets. Autoclaving of diets did resultin decrease of growth rate and food utilization of chickens. Only 1 and 2 chickens died in groups 1 and 2 respectively. Slight numerical differences were detected between the dressed carcass and meat weight of live weight percentages of various groups. Gizzard, liver and kidney weights of live weight percentage were greater in chicken groups fed P- or F-molded diets compared to the controls

Performance of growing rabbits fed on diets containing corn or barley grains with or without addition of kemzyme

Twenty-eight California growing rabbits were divided into four equal groups and assigned, respectively, to four balanced experimental diets. Diets 1 and 2 contained corn grains as a single cereal without and with addition of Kemzyme preparation [0.05%], respectively. In diets 3 and 4, barley grains replaced corn without and with addition of Kemzyme [0.05%], respectively. All diets were fed ad libitum for 18 weeks. The results indicated that incorporation of barley instead of corn grains in growing rabbit diets is of advantage through improving growth rate, food/gain ratio and reduction of fat deposition in the rabbit carcass. Addition of Kemzyme [0.05%] to the used diets had an additional beneficial effect on the tested parameters. From the economic, nutritional and physiological st and points, it can be safely concluded that barley grain is suitable for rabbits than corn

Effect of partial and complete replacement of fish meal by feather meal in diets on the performance and body composition of tilapia nilotica [oreochromis niloticus]

The purpose of the work was to find out the most suitable inclusion rate for feather meal in economical practical diets for Tilapia nilotica. Sixty-nine T. nilotica of nearly similar weight [ca. 25 g] were divided in five glass aquaria and fed on five different diets containing constant percentages of wheat bran [45%] and layer ration [15%], but varying percentages of fish meal, and feather meals as follows: 40: 0, 30: 10, 20: 20, 10: 30 and 0: 40 for aquaria I, II, III, IV and V, respectively. The experiment was terminated after 18 weeks

Kemzyme and laying hen performance

An experiment was conducted using 120 brown Shaver laying hens to determine if an enzyme preparation "Kemzyme" would improve laying hen performance. Kemzyme was added at 0, 0.05 and 0.1% levels to a basal layer diet composed of corn, soybean meal, wheat bran, concentrate and limestone. The experimental diets were fed at a rate of 110 g/hen/day during five 28-day periods. Addition of Kemzyme at 0.05% level improved egg number and egg mass without affecting egg weight. The higher level of Kemzyme [0.1%] did not prove to be of additional benefit in supporting egg production. No alteration was recorded in egg weight, egg height, shell thickness, yolk weight, albumen weight and shell ash% by either dietary levels of Kemzyme supplementation

Effect of different dietary protein levels and amino acid supplementation on performance and carcass composition of Lohmann Broiler chickens

A total of 325 day-old Lohmann broiler chicks were used in this study. The chicks were randomly divided into 13 equal groups, each of 25 chicks. It was planned that group 1 of chicks [controls], receive diets containing 22.9, 21.7 and 20% crude protein levels without amino acid supplementation during the starting, growing and finishing rearing periods. For the other groups, the dietary crude protein levels were reduced by 2 and 3% without or with L-lysine [0.05%] and /or DL-methionine [0.05%] supplementation during the same periods. Both feed and water were constantly available for 7 week-experimental period

Practical diets based on modified broiler starting ration for juvenile tilapia nilotica

Effects of substitution of fish meal by processed chicken feather meal in diets based on broiler starting ration at two environmental temperatures for juvenile Tilapia nilotica were investigated. Juvenile Tilapia nilotica [ca. 4 g body weight] were kept for 3- weeks adaptation period, after which they were cultured at the rate of 14, 12, 14, and 11 fishes in aquaria I, II, III and IV, respectively. The prepared diets were fed at a rate of 3% of the fish biomass and offered twice daily throughout an experimental period of 12 weeks. The highest average final fish weight was recorded in fishes of aquarium I [12.14 g] followed by those in aquarium IV [10.57 g], aquarium II [6.9 g] and finally aquarium III [6.8 g]. The food conversion ratio amounted to 1.8, 4.98, 5.05 and 2.6 for fishes in aquaria I, II, III and IV, respectively. Values of protein efficiency ratio were 1.77, 0.66, 0.67 and 1.13 for the respective aquaria. Proximate chemical analysis of fishes was not consistent and did not reveal appreciable differences between aquaria

Performance of Isa-Brown layers as affected by addition of two dietary levels of choline chloride

A large-scale field study was carried out on 21000 Isa-Brown layers to investigate the effects of choline supplementation on their performance. Choline chloride was added at two levels [0.05% and 0.1%] to a basal layer ration based on corn-soybean meal. The recorded data indicated an increase in egg production, egg weight and an improved efficiency of food utilization for egg production in layers receiving supplemental choline with better results in those receiving 0.1% of added choline chloride. On the other h and, the egg shell quality parameters did not significantly influenced by choline supplementation. This work supports the necessity for choline supplementation in diets based on corn-soybean meal for laying hens. It was suggested that choline requirement for optimum performance in laying hens might be higher than 1300 mg choline/kg of such diets and in the absence of supplemental methionine