Short answer: Fishmeal is the most concentrated protein in most farm mixes, and also the most variable. Before you pay, read the protein, ash and salt figures on the analysis sheet for that lot, not the brand name. Keep fishmeal to a small share in layer rations so the eggs do not taste of fish, and store it cool and dry, because its fat goes rancid.
Key takeaways
- Read protein and ash together. Falling protein with rising ash is the pattern to walk away from.
- Fishmeal can bring a lot of salt with it, so count that sodium in your ration sum.
- Keep layer rations to a small share of fishmeal, because its oil can taint eggs.
- Store it cool, dry and off the floor, and use the oldest bag first.
- Ask for the analysis of the lot you are buying, with its lot number, before you pay.
Ask for the sheet before you look at the sack
Farmers ask us about fishmeal more than almost any other feed ingredient. The question usually comes with a bag in one hand and a phone in the other, and it is rarely "is this good?" It is "what does this number mean?" We are a hatchery, not a feed laboratory, so we cannot tell what is in a bag by looking at it. What we can do is show you how to read the paper that should come with it.
Any seller worth buying from should be able to give you a written analysis for the lot you are buying, with the lot number on it. If the paper is missing, or the figure is only spoken, treat the bag as unknown. An unknown protein is a gamble with your birds' growth and with your money, and fishmeal is one of the more expensive things to gamble with.
The numbers on the sheet, and what each one tells you
Most analysis sheets list the same handful of lines. The labels change from seller to seller, but the figures mean the same thing everywhere.
| Figure | What it tells you | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Crude protein | How much of the bag is protein by weight | Fishmeal varies from lot to lot, so the figure for this lot counts more than the brand name |
| Ash | Mineral left after burning, mostly bone | Bone adds calcium and phosphorus, but sand and grit also add ash with no nutrition |
| Salt (sodium chloride) | Salt used to preserve the fish | High salt pushes sodium up across the whole ration |
| Fat | Oil left in the meal | Oily meal turns rancid faster, and the oil is what can taint eggs |
| Moisture | Water in the bag | Damp meal grows mould, so a wet bag is a store problem before it is a feed problem |
Read the figures together, not one at a time. Protein on its own tells you little. Protein next to ash tells you whether the protein is real.
Why protein and ash have to be read together
The pattern that worries us is simple. Protein falls and ash climbs, lot after lot. That usually means something with no feed value has been added, or the fish was not cleaned before it was dried. Sand adds weight and ash, and it gives the bird nothing to eat.
Bone is different. A meal made from whole fish or fish frames carries bone, so ash can be high while protein stays strong, and the bird gets calcium and phosphorus from that bone. A high ash figure is not a verdict on its own. It needs the protein figure beside it.
Take two lots as an example. Lot A shows 62 per cent protein and 14 per cent ash. Lot B shows 55 per cent protein and 24 per cent ash. Lot B has picked up ash that is doing nothing for the bird. Buy lot A, or ask the seller to explain lot B in writing.
The salt you did not plan for
Fish is often salted or dried with salt before it is ground, so fishmeal can carry a real load of sodium. The salt does not show on the bag. It shows up later as thirsty birds, wet litter and a ration that tastes wrong to the hens.
Do the sum. Say your ration has 4 per cent fishmeal, and that lot carries 4 per cent salt on its sheet. The fishmeal alone then puts 0.16 per cent salt into the ration. Add the salt from your other ingredients and any salt you put in yourself, and the total can climb past what you meant to feed. Our article on salt and minerals in poultry feed works through the sodium side in more detail.
Fishy eggs: the layer problem nobody warns you about
The fish oil in fishmeal can pass a smell and a taste into the egg when the ration carries too much of it, or too oily a meal. The first person to notice is often a buyer who says the eggs taste of the sea. By then the flock has been on the feed for weeks, and you are working backwards.
The fix is simple, though it takes discipline. Keep fishmeal to a small share of the layer ration. Buy meal with a known fat figure, and take the lower-oil lot when prices are close. When a buyer complains, check the ration before you blame the hens, and give it a week after any change before you judge the eggs again, because the flock takes time to settle. Our layer feeding guide lays out the rest of the programme that the meal has to fit into.
Imported meal or local meal: what changes
Imported fishmeal often arrives in sealed, labelled bags with a lot number and a sheet to match. Local meal is frequently made from whatever the fish landing site has left over, dried in the open and bagged by hand. That is not automatically bad. It does mean protein, ash and salt can swing from one batch to the next, so last month's bag tells you very little about this month's.
The dust question gets worse in the dry season. Harmattan haze settles on drying fish and on open sacks, and a bag left in a yard in December can pick up grit and fine ash that never came from the fish. Keep local meal under cover, and check the bottom of every new sack before you pour it.
Storing fishmeal without losing the protein
Fishmeal goes off by two routes. The oil oxidises and turns rancid, and damp draws mould into the bag. Heat speeds up both, so the hot weeks before the rains, and the wet season itself, are the hardest times to hold a stock.
A store that works is dry, shaded and off the floor. Keep the bags clear of the walls too, since wall moisture soaks up into the bottom sacks. Stack so the oldest lot comes out first, and write the date you opened each bag on the sack in marker. If a bag feels warm inside, or smells sour when you open it, use it quickly or set it aside and tell your seller. Our article on storing feed and avoiding aflatoxin covers the same routine for grain and mash.
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A checklist before you buy a bag of fishmeal
- Ask for the analysis sheet for this lot, with the lot number on it.
- Read protein and ash together. Walk away from falling protein with rising ash.
- Write down the salt figure and add it to your ration sum.
- For layers, note the fat figure and take the lower-oil lot when prices are close.
- Smell the bag. Fresh fishmeal smells of fish, not sour, mouldy or rancid.
- Look for clumps, mould patches and grit in the bottom of the bag.
- Buy one bag first, and watch the birds for a week before you buy a store-load.
Free-range and local birds: how much meal do they need?
Birds that forage get some protein from insects, seeds and green matter, so they usually need less fishmeal than birds on a full mash. Many farmers with local chickens give a small supplement during the rains, when forage is thin. Treat that supplement as a top-up, not the main protein. A handful of meal stirred into scraps will not make the birds grow faster. A large dose will only cost you money and add salt you did not count.
When the birds tell you the meal is wrong
Birds rarely complain in words. A flock that starts picking around the fishmeal-heavy part of the trough, a sudden drop in intake after a new bag, or a change in droppings all count as evidence. So does a falling weight in a group that has been on the new feed for a few days. Weigh a random sample of birds, not the one that looks best.
When you suspect a lot, switch to a known-good lot for a few days and see whether intake and weight recover. A change you can reverse by changing the bag is strong evidence. If the birds stay off feed after the switch, that is a question for your vet, not for another bag. More answers are on our FAQ page.
Starting the new flock on the right feed
If you are about to start a new flock, plan the protein with the strain in mind from the first day. Layers want a different plan from broilers, and a plan written for one can be wrong for the other. Our pages for layer day-old chicks and broiler day-old chicks set out the strains we hatch, and you can see the wider range on our breeds page.
Orders go through the order form. For questions, WhatsApp +233 24 915 1503, and we can talk through which feed questions to ask for the breed you choose, and what the first weeks of its programme look like.
Questions farmers ask
Is fishmeal necessary in poultry feed?
No. Plenty of rations work without it, especially when soya and other protein sources are balanced well. Fishmeal earns its place because it supplies lysine and methionine in a form birds digest well, so it can lift a mix that is short on those amino acids. If your ration already meets the amino acid plan, the same money spent on a better protein elsewhere may do more. Ask your formulator to show you both versions on paper before you decide.
What protein figure should I expect on a bag of fishmeal?
The figure changes from lot to lot, so the one on the sheet for your lot is the one that counts. Compare the protein of the lots on offer and work out the price per kilo of protein, not the price per bag. A cheaper bag with a lower protein figure can still be the dearer buy, and a lot with low protein and high ash should raise questions before it raises your hopes.
The fishmeal smells sharp, like ammonia. Is it safe?
Do not feed it. A sharp, rotten or ammonia-like smell means the meal has spoiled, was poorly dried or was stored badly. Set the bag aside, label it and tell the seller. Ask for another lot with a fresh analysis. If birds have already eaten it and look unwell, call your vet and keep the bag so they can see it.
Can chicks have fishmeal?
Chicks can take a little fishmeal in a starter ration when the formulation calls for it. The share should be small, the salt figure should be checked first, and the whole ration should follow the plan from your formulator or your vet. Young birds are more sensitive to imbalance than adults, so do not add fishmeal to a starter by guesswork.
Will fishmeal make my eggs taste of fish?
It can, if the layer ration carries too much of it or the meal is high in oil. Keep the share small, buy meal with a known fat figure and cut back at the first complaint. Give it about a week after the change before you judge the eggs, since the flock needs time to settle on the new ration.
How can I tell if fishmeal has sand in it?
Start with the ash figure. Ash that rises while protein falls points to filler. A gritty feel in the bag, or heavy grit settling in the bottom, is another sign. For a firm answer, send a sample to a laboratory that tests feed and compare the result with the seller's sheet. Your eyes and fingers are a good first check, but not a final one.
How long can I keep fishmeal before using it?
There is no safe number that suits every bag, because the fat content, the moisture and the storage all change the answer. Keep stock for as short a time as you can, write the opening date on each sack and use the oldest first. If a bag smells off or has gone warm, stop using it, whatever the date says.
