THE RESPONSE OF WEANER PIGS TO DJETS CONTAINING FISHMEAL AND BLOODMEAL AS SEPARATE SOURCES OF ANIMAL PROTEIN

Abstract

Thirty-six hybrid (large white x landrace), weaner pigs were used to evaluate the response of weaner pigs to diets containing fishmeal and blood meal in various proportions as separate sources of animal protein and their effect on carcass characteristics. Diet I was the control with neither fishmeal nor blood meal inclusion, diets 2 and 3 had 5% and 7.5% fishmeal while diets 4, 5 and 6 contained 4'%, 6%) and 8% blood meal inclusion respectively. The parameters measured were live weight, feed intake, feed efficiency as well as body anthropometric measurements like body length, heart girth, and height at withers as well as carcass quality characteristics, which included among others, back fat anti abdominal fat thickness, warm dressed out percentage and organ weights. Diet 4 with 4%) blood meal was superior to other test diets in all growth parameters while diets with blood meal were better than diets with fishmeal and the control diet. All carcass quality characteristics were similar for the diets except the final slaughter weight, warm dressed-out percentage and the weight of the reproductive tracts, in which diet 4 excelled others. In terms of economy and cost benefit, diet 4 was the cheapest followed by diet 6,5,1,3 and 2 in that order. Results generally indicate that the best and cheapest level of inclusion of blood meal w 'a'4s and that further increment in the level from 4 to 8 has 110 deleterious effects in growth and carcass characteristics of weaner pigs. It also suggests that it is more cost-effective to include blood meal than fishmeal in diets of wearier pigs and that, it is even cheaper not to include fishmeal tall in the diet.