Evaluation of Locally Available Feed Ingredients for Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Farming in Kano State

This study evaluated the nutritive value and growth-promoting potential of locally available feed ingredients for use in catfish (Clarias gariepinus) diets in Kano State, North West Nigeria. The high cost of imported fishmeal and commercial feed formulations has constrained the profitability of small-scale catfish farming in the region. Four experimental diets were formulated using combinations of groundnut cake, soybean meal, blood meal, maize offal, and wheat bran, each targeted at a minimum crude protein content of 35 percent. A fifth control diet consisted of a commercially available catfish pellet. Juvenile catfish (mean initial weight of 12.4 grams) were randomly distributed into 25 experimental tanks and reared for eight weeks. Growth parameters including weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and survival were recorded fortnightly. Results showed that the diet combining soybean meal and blood meal at a 50:30 ratio produced growth performance comparable to the commercial control diet, with a feed conversion ratio of 1.74 versus 1.68 for the control. Diets relying heavily on maize offal recorded the poorest growth performance. Ingredient cost analysis confirmed that locally formulated diets offered a 38 percent cost reduction over commercial feeds. The study recommends the adoption of optimised local ingredient-based diets as a viable, cost-effective strategy for improving catfish production efficiency in Kano State. Keywords: catfish nutrition, local feed ingredients, Clarias gariepinus, feed formulation, Kano State