FISH SILAGE AS A PROTEIN SOURCE FOR EARLY WEANED CALVES
Fish silage, preserved with 3.5% formic acid, was fed to Holstein bull calves weaned onto dry feed at 3 wk of age. Dietary treatments were: (1) soybean meal-supplemented calf starter, (2) a low protein grain mix combined with fish silage in a 2:1 ratio (wt/wt), and (3) the same grain mix combined with fish silage in a 4:3 ratio (wt/wt). Initial acceptance of the fish silage diets equalled that of the soybean meal diet. Over the 10-wk period, feed consumption, weight gains, and feed:gain ratio tended to be slightly poorer as the proportion of fish silage in the diet increased. Only during the final 6 wk of the trial were weight gains significantly reduced by calves on the fish silage diets. It was concluded that fish silage can be used as a protein source for young calves.