Vinay Gautam, Dinesh Kumar, Laxmi Prasad, Puneet K. Patel, Sumit Kumar, Pradip Kumar Maurya, Vikalp, Suraj Verma and Vikas Kushwaha
Abstract
The present study evaluated the replacement of fish meal with chicken offal meal (intestine) in the diet of Labeo rohita fingerlings with respect to water quality, growth, carcass composition, and hematological indices. A 90-day feeding trial was conducted using triplicate groups of fingerlings (mean initial weight 5.3 ± 0.1 g; length 8.4 ± 0.2 cm) reared in aquaria (150 L, 10 fish each). Three iso-nitrogenous and iso-calorific diets were prepared: T1 (control, rice polish + mustard oil cake), T2 (fish meal-based), and T3 (chicken offal meal-based) having 28% CP. Water quality remained within optimal ranges (temperature 26.5-28.9 °C, DO 5.4-6.4 mg L{¹, pH 7.1â7.6). Fish fed T3 exhibited significantly higher weight gain (279.7%), SGR (1.48% day{¹), PER (0.53), and lower FCR (1.46) compared to T2 and T1. Proximate analysis showed higher carcass protein (73.5%) and lipid (12.3%) in T3. Hematological parameters (Hb, PCV, TEC) also improved under T3, reflecting better health status. These results demonstrate that chicken offal meal is an effective, sustainable, and economical substitute for fish meal in L. rohita diets.