Illeal digestibility assay of broiler chicks fed with soybean meal and fish silage as protein supplement in poultry diet

Abstract

Fish silage was prepared from fish waste collected from in and around Mangalore city. Formic acid and propionic acid were added in 1 colon 1 ratio to the waste at 3 per cent of the biomass. Liquefied fish silage was mixed with crushed corn in a ratio of 85 colon 15 and dried at a temperature of 40 degree celsius in solar drier. Separate diet was prepared where soybean meal and another diet with dried fish silage which represents the main protein supplement respectively. Titanium dioxide was added as a indigestible marker. Around 20 numbers of the day old cobb 500 strain of broiler chicks were purchased. Till 19th day all birds were fed with commercial feed and then fed with prepared diet till 23rd day. On 23rd day birds were starved for one hour and then fed for two hours to ensure sufficient gut fill for digesta sample collection. Birds were then killed, following dissection of the lower small intestine, digesta sample was gently flushed with distilled water and collected into a collection vessel. The digesta sample was then analyzed for illeal digestibility assay in order to compare the amino acid digestibility of both diet. Soybean sample and fish silage sample were also subjected to amino acid analysis. Coefficient of apparent amino acid digestibility was calculated which clearly showed the highest digestibility of amino acid had occurred for fish silage diet and lowest for soybean diet. The presence of antinutritional factors in soybean meal such as trypsin inhibitors is responsible for lower digestibility.