The amino acid composition and the protein value of four selected fish meals for the young chick

Abstract

A winter herring meal, a North Sea herring meal, a scad meal and a mackerel meal were tested as supplements to a basal vegetable chick diet and were analyzed for amino acids, vitamins and the common chemical constituents. The four meals were equally well utilized by the young chick at three different protein levels and supplementation of the fish meal proteins with 1 % methionine was without any effect. The amino acid composition of the four meals were very similar, the mackerel meal and the scad meal showed higher histidine values than the two herring meals. The vitamin assays showed mackerel meal to be highest in riboflavin, nicotinic acid and vitamin B12. The scad meal was high in thiamine. The chemical analyses showed the two herring meals and the mackerel meal to be of similar composition whereas the scad meal was high in ash and calcium.