Today, I gotta tell you about something I’ve been messing around with – making fish meal. Yeah, you heard that right, fish meal. Sounds kinda weird, but it’s actually pretty cool.
So, first off, why even bother with fish meal? Well, I got into this whole thing because I wanted a cheap, but good protein source to feed to my chickens. Then, I found out that fish meal is packed with good stuff, like protein, vitamins, and minerals. It’s like a superfood, but for animals.
Getting Started
First thing I did was get some fish. And let me tell you it is not easy to get some cheap ones! I tried asking some fish shop owners, they did not even want to bother with me. I guess it is too much work for such a small profit for them. Then I went to a few wet markets early in the morning, and finally I got some small fish that were not suitable for selling, I got them at a very cheap price. It is important to start with fresh fish though, because we do not want some spoiled fish to get our chickens sick.
The Process
- Cooking: First, I cooked the fish. Just boiled them in a big pot until they were all soft and falling apart. It’s kinda like making a big, gross fish soup.
- Pressing: Next, I had to press the cooked fish to get rid of the extra water and oil. I used an old wooden box, and pressed the fish into a solid brick. This part was messy!
- Drying: Then came the drying part. I spread the pressed fish out on some trays and let them bake in the sun for a few days. It was a long wait, but I had to make sure it was completely dry. And this is the hardest part! It smelled so bad while doing this, I almost could not breathe.
- Grinding: Once the fish was totally dry, it was time to grind it up. I used a hand-crank grinder to smash it up, it took forever, but finally, I had my fish meal.
The Result
After all that work, I finally had a batch of homemade fish meal. It wasn’t pretty, but it was packed with nutrients. And, the chickens love it! They go crazy for this stuff. Also I tried to give some of them to my friend who has a fish farm, he said the fish loved it as well! I guess I made a great batch of fish meal!
Final Thoughts
