Fish Meals as Amino Acid Sources in Chick Rations

MOST of the protein of poultry rations is at present of plant origin. It is unlikely that these plant proteins will ever be replaced extensively by animal proteins; nevertheless, it is reasonable to assume that animal sources of amino acids which effectively supplement plant sources will be used increasingly as more information about them becomes available. Fish meal was for many years used primarily as a protein concentrate, but has recently served primarily as a source of water-soluble vitamins (vitamin B12 and some unidentified factors). The continuing development of other sources of vitamins has resulted in reconsideration of fish meal as a source of amino acids. Fish muscle proteins, which comprise most of the total protein of fish meals, are known to be of high protein quality (Geiger, 1948; Deuel et al., 1946a, b). It has also been established that the muscle proteins in various species of fish have similar …