Effect of replacement of fish meal by vegetable protein supplements on the performance of cockerels

A combination of soybean meal (SBM), mustard oil cake (MOC), groundnut cake (GNC), sesame cake (SC) and guar meal (GM) in the ratio of 4:1:1:1:1 was used to replace the dietary fish meal in a 8 week feeding experiment on 180 cockerels. Six dietary treatments were control group containing 10% fish meal, which was replaced with vegetable protein mixture at 20 (T2), 40 (T3), 60 (T4), 80 (T5) and 100% (T) levels. Significantly (P<0.05) higher body weight gain, feed efficiency and performance index were observed in 20% replacement group (T2) than control group (T1) and these parameters were depressed (P<0.05) in 100% replacement group (T6). However body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and performance index of T2, T3, T4 and T5 were comparable to that of control group (T1). It was concluded that the mixture of vegetable protein supplements could safely replace upto 80% of fish meal without any adverse effect on the performance of cockerels.