Hydrolyzed feather meal as feed component in diets for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and effects of dietary protein/energy ratio on the efficiency of utilization of digestible energy and protein.

Two feeding trials were performed on rainbow trout of mean initial weights of 40 and 50 g and lasting for 12 and 14 weeks, respectively. In trial 1, diets contained per kg 300 g fish meal and varying proportions of gelatinized maize starch plus either casein or hydrolyzed feather meal. Dietary crude protein content varied from about 27 to 53%. In trial 2, all diets had about 45% crude protein. Fish meal (300 g/kg) was replaced in 3 steps by hydrolyzed feather meal either without or with supplementation of L- lysine.HCl and/or DL-methionine. In trial 1, efficiency of utilization of digestible energy (DE) rose from 38 to 50% when the ratio digestible crude protein (DCP)/DE was increased from about 11 to 17 g/MJ irrespective of the source of additional DCP, but did not further increase at higher ratios DCP/DE. Efficiency of utilization of DCP was about 50% as long as the ratio DCP/DE did not exceed 17 g/MJ. With progressing replacement of fish meal by hydrolyzed feather meal, efficiencies of utilization of DE as well as of DCP were reduced, the respective rates of reduction being about halved by supplementing lysine with no effect of supplementing methionine.