The use of New Zealand produced fish meal in diets of growing pigs

Abstract

Growth performance was recorded on a group of 8 pigs fed, up to 120 lb live weight, a diet containing 12 percent meat meal but reduced thereafter to 6 percent. For three similar groups fish meal containing 7.1 percent oil replaced 33, 66, and 100 percent of the dietary meat meal. Diets containing fish meal were compared with the one diet which consisted solely of meat meal.Growth rate and feed consumed generally improved with successive increments of fish meal to the diet, particularly up to 80 lb live weight. From 120 to 195 lb live weight growth performance was adversely affected by successive increases in the proportion of dietary fish meal. Linear carcass measurements and carcass composition were not influenced by the dietary treatments. Similarly, the presence of fish meal in diets did not result in a subsequent "fish" taint in cured bacon sides.