Poultry encyclopedia · NEXTEKCI School · Feed raw materials
Fish meal
Fish meal is an animal protein source of very high value, rich in lysine and methionine, calcium and phosphorus. But its quality varies enormously: salt, sand, rancidity and germs are the traps of badly made meals. It is used in small amounts, within a formula.
Key facts
- Main role
- High-value protein
- Protein content
- From 50 to over 65% depending on quality
- Strong points
- Lysine, methionine, calcium, phosphorus
- Traps
- Salt, sand, rancidity, salmonella
- If too much
- Fishy taste in meat and eggs
What it is
Fish meal is made from whole fish or fish waste, cooked, pressed, dried and then ground. Industrial meal is produced in a controlled way; artisanal meal is often sun-dried, with very variable quality.
Its value depends on the starting material (whole fish or bones and heads), the freshness of the fish, the drying and the amount of salt.
Its role in the ration
Its protein is very well balanced, rich in lysine and methionine, the amino acids that cereals lack most. It also provides calcium, readily usable phosphorus and vitamins, notably vitamin B12. A small amount improves a plant-based feed, especially for young birds.
It is an expensive and variable raw material: many modern formulas partly replace it with soybean meal and synthetic amino acids. The choice is up to the nutritionist.
The traps of fish meal
Salt: meal made from salted or poorly rinsed fish can contain a lot of it. The birds drink more, the droppings become watery and the litter gets wet; in chicks, too much salt can kill. Sand and soil: meal dried on the ground often contains them, and you end up paying for sand at the price of protein. Rancidity: fish oil goes rancid in the heat, the feed loses its vitamins and takes on a bad smell.
Germs: undercooked or recontaminated meal can bring salmonella. Overheated meal can damage the chickens’ gizzard. Finally, too much fish meal gives a fishy taste to meat and eggs.
Quality, storage and availability
Good meal has an even colour, light brown to brown, a clear fishy smell that is neither putrid nor rancid, and does not crunch between the teeth (no sand). A serious manufacturer asks for or has analyses done for protein, salt and sand, and chooses regular suppliers.
In Côte d’Ivoire, there are artisanal meals produced along the coast and imported meals. It is stored dry, in the shade and protected from rats, flies and insects, and used fairly quickly.
Common mistakes
Adding fish meal "to boost growth" without redoing the formula: this unbalances the feed, adds salt and risks watery droppings. Buying the cheapest meal without knowing how much salt and sand it contains.
Forgetting that the salt in fish meal counts towards the total salt in the feed: it is up to the nutritionist to do the calculation.