| Abstract: | Fish waste was ensiled either by acidification with formic acid or by fermentation with a bacterial starter culture and molasses. The resulting liquids were mixed with wheat bran (85:15 w/w liquid: bran) and dried (70°C) to produce acid silage meal (ASM) and fermented silage meal (FSM). ASM and FSM were incorporated into wheat-based diets at 25, 50 and 100 g kg?1 at the expense of soya bean meal. There were two control diets, one which contained soya bean meal as the predominant protein supplement and a second in which fish meal (50 g kg?1) was added at the expense of some of the soya bean meal. Starter diets (13.25 MJ ME kg?1, 12 g kg?1 lysine) were fed from 1-day-old to 21-days-old and finisher diets (13.25 MJ ME kg?1, 9.5 g kg?1 lysine) were fed from 22 to 42-days-old to six replicates each of five birds. Birds were reared in raised-wire cages, and feed intake, liveweight and mortality were recorded. There were no significant effects of dietary inclusion of either ASM and FSM on the performance of broiler chickens relative to those fed on control diets. FSM contained less crude protein and amino acids than ASM. The recovery of amino acids relative to the total crude protein content from FSM was only 78.7%, presumably as a result of formation of Maillard reaction products during drying. |
