EN
Following the ban on using meat and meat-bone meals, fish and fish-derived products have become an alternative source of protein in swine nutrition. Fish broth, a by-product of fish meal processing, is one of these products. A prototype of pre-starter feed for piglets has been developed based on fish broth and fish oil and using extrusion processing. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of this feed on the health status and weight gains of piglets. Research was carried out on 20 litters comprising 230 piglets, 3-31 days of age. The chemical composition, amino acid composition of protein, and fatty acid content in fat extracted from the feed were determined and bacteriological investigation performed. Lipid metabolism parameters, selected biochemical indexes and enzymes and immunological parameters were determined. The weight gains of the piglets were recorded during the study and the results indicate that the improvement in the piglets’ overall health status was achieved in different ways. In group K it was probably due to a very high (therapeutic) level of zinc in the feed whereas in group D the significant content of Omega-3 essential fatty acids, in particular, may have had an impact on the good health performance of the piglets. This assumption is further confirmed by IgG and IgA concentrations.