SUBSTITUTION OF FISH SILAGE PROTEIN AND A FREE AMINO-ACID MIXTURE FOR FISH-MEAL PROTEIN IN A CHICKEN DIET

White Leghorn chickens were red a basal diet with about 550 g kg-1 of the protein from fish meal. Graded amounts of fish silage protein or an amino acid mixture simulating fish meal protein were substituted for parts of the dietary fish meal protein. In two experiments 150 and 300 g kg-1 of fish meal protein were replaced by fish silage protein or by an amino acid mixture simulating fish meal. In one experiment graded amounts of 0, 50, 100, 200, 300 and 400 g kg-1 of fish meal protein were replaced by fish silage protein. Growth and feed efficiency were the same or better when some of the protein was from fish silage. The results showed that replacement of dietary fish meal with fish silage did not reduce the dietary quality of the feed for young growing chickens. It is concluded that it might be advantageous to substitute fish silage for some of the fish meal under the experimental conditions used.