Apparent Digestible Energy Coefficients and Associative Effects in Practical Diets for Red Swamp Crayfish

Adult red swamp crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii ) were held in fecal collection chambers and fed common feedstuffs in two different types of diets, as the sole feedstuff and as a 30% substitution in a reference diet. Feedstuffs tested were soybean meal, peanut meal, wheat shorts, cooked corn, menhaden fish meal, and shrimp-head meal. Feed consumption, apparent digestible dry matter, and energy coefficients were determined for feedstuffs when fed in both diets. Addition of menhaden fish meal, shrimp-head meal, and peanut meal in the reference diet resulted in decreased consumption, and menhaden fish meal was poorly digested when incorporated at 30% in the reference diet. Apparent dry matter and energy digestion coefficients Indicated that plant feedstuffs have greater potential as ingredients in crayfish diets than feedstuffs of animal origin. Differences in consumption and digestibility between the two types of diet were observed. Therefore, it appears that the associative effects of additions of feedstuffs in diets should be considered when formulating crayfish feeds.