MJAS

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Effects of using puffed feather meal on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of red hybrid tilapia

Farahiyah, I.J.*, Mardhati, M. and Yong, S.T.

Animal Science Research Centre, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Persiaran MARDI-UPM, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Malaysian J. Anim. Sci. 2018 21(2): 99-108

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A study was conducted using juvenile red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) for a 112-day feeding trial to evaluate the growth performance and carcass characteristics of the fish after been fed with practical diets containing 10 and 15% puffed feather meal.  All the experimental feeds were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous using digestible values of the raw material. For growth parameter of weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER), no significant difference was found (p>0.05) indicating that inclusion of up to 15% had no adverse effect on the growth performance of the red hybrid tilapia. Highest average weight gain and SGR were recorded in the control with 197.31?25.43g and 2.19?0.15%, respectively. Lowest FCR was also recorded in the control with a value of 1.55?0.12. Carcass analysis results of fillet percentage and whole body composition did not show significant different (p>0.05) among the test groups. This study showed that inclusion of up to 15% puffed feather meal in the diet of red hybrid tilapia has no detrimental effect on the growth and carcass quality.