Apparent digestibility coefficients of nutrients and nutritional value of poultry by-product meals for rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss measured in vivo using settlement

Fish meal production is not growing worldwide, therefore, it is important to search for alternative protein sources. Three types of poultry by-product meals (feed grade, prime, and refined) and two fish meals (herring and menhaden) were mixed into a casein-gelatin purified reference diet at 30% to measure apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) for rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. A total of 90 fish (initial mean body weight 294.6 +/- 10.7 g) were stocked into six 140-L fiberglass digestibility tanks at 15 fish per tank. Individual tanks were assigned randomly to each of the five experimental diets and the reference diet. Fecal collection by. settlement lasted for 2 wk. Feces collected in each week represented a replicate, and they were analyzed separately. The ADCs of nutrients for herring meal, menhaden meal, feed grade poultry by-product meal, prime poultry by-product meal, and refined poultry by-product meal were: dry matter, 81.3, 70.9, 70.9, 71.5. and 74.5%. respectively (P = 0.0168); crude protein, 89.8, 85.8, 83.1, 84.8, and 87.1%, respectively (P = 0.0032); crude fat, 91.5, 90.7, 79.7, 82.7, and 79.9%, respectively (P = 0.0004); ash, 76.6, 66.2, 74.1, 77.4, and 79.6%, respectively (P = 0.2880); phosphorus, 58.2, 46.9, 49.4, 45.8, and 56.0%, respectively (P = 0.0143); gross energy, 88.2, 84.0, 81.9, 83.4, and 79.8%, respectively (P = 0.2466). Significant differences in ADCs of essential amino acid existed only for arginine, leucine, and tryptophan when comparing refined poultry by-product meal with herring meal. Results showed that refined poultry by-product meal had similar ADC values to herring meal, thus, it has a similar nutritional value and can replace portions of herring meal in rainbow trout feeds. Furthermore, differences exist in ADC values among grades of poultry by-product meals that should dictate appropriate use levels in rainbow trout feeds.