Growth Performance and Blood Chemistry of African Catfish, Clarias Gariepinus Fed Boiled Layer Chickens on a Poultry-fishery Integrated Farm, Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

Growth performance and blood chemistry of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus post juveniles (154.60 ± 0.55 g mean weight) fed boiled layer chickens that are unfit for human consumption was investigated over a 28-weeks period. Control fish were fed commercial fish feed alone while the test fish were fed equal mixture of the commercial fish feed and boiled layer chickens. Final mean body weights of both the control and the test fish were 538.70 ± 15.82 g and 503.30 ± 16.70 g, which were significantly (p<0.05) higher than their initial mean body weights but their final body weights and weight gains were insignificantly (p>0.05) lower in the test fish compared to the control fish. The crude protein, oil and Ash contents of the test fish (43.24 ± 0.81 %, 22.32 ± 0.26 % and 10.54 ± 1.08 %) were insignificantly (p>0.05) lower than those of the control fish (43.33 ± 0.80 %, 23.12 ± 0.39 % and 11.17 ± 1.88 %). Serum total glucose, total protein and total triglyceride concentrations were insignificantly (p>0.05) higher in the test fish (4.30 ± 0.75 mmoL,sup>-1, 45.07 ± 2.27 gL^-1 and 3.80 ± 0.49 mgdL-1) compared to the control fish (2.61 ± 0.37 mmoL^-1, 42.40 ± 1.46 gL^-1 and 3.55 ± 0.55 mgdL^-1). However, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activities were significantly (p<0.05) lower in the test fish (202.70 ± 38.96 iuL^-1 and 30.60 ± 2.89 iuL^-1) compared to the control fish (352.50 ± 33.73 iuL^-1 and 41.87 ± 1.66 iuL^-1). The cost of producing a unit of the control fish was =N= 228.96 as against =N= 114.53 for a unit of the test fish. This was further reinforced by a production benefit-cost ratio of 1.76 for the test fish as against 0.94 for the control fish. The feeding of fish with boiled layer chickens that are unfit for human consumption along with commercial fish feed, which caused slight stress in the fish but greatly reduced their cost of production without obviously affecting their growth and nutritive values, is highly recommended on Poultry-Fishery integrated farms where chicken mortalities that are unfit for human consumption are readily available at negligible processing cost.

Keywords: Body composition, boiled layer chickens, Clarias gariepinus, cost of production, growth, stress

Nigerian Veterinary Journal, VOL:33 (1) 376-386