GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF STARTER BROILER FED BLACK SOLDIER FLY LARVAE MEAL-BASED DIETS

Abstract

Rearing black soldier fly is an efficient way to dispose of organic waste by converting them into protein-rich feed to substitute animal and plant-based sources in animal feeds. This study aimed to determine the optimal inclusion level of black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) as a substitute for soybean meal (SBM) in broiler starter diets and evaluate their impact on growth performance. Five isonitrogenous diets (22% crude protein, CP) and isocaloric (3000 Kcal/kg) were formulated such that BSFLM substituted SBM at 0% (control, T1), 25% (T2), 50% (T3), 75% (T4), and 100% (T5) on a protein basis. A total of 120 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to the five treatments with eight birds per replicate using completely randomized design. The data collected were subjected to ANOVA, and the least significant difference test was used to separate the means. Significant differences were observed in the results of broilers fed BSFLM diets. Final weight (316.67 g) and body weight gain (266 g) of broilers fed T3 were significantly (P<0.05) higher than broiler chickens fed the other treatments (T1, T2, T4 and T5). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of birds fed T4 was significantly (P<0.05) higher than birds fed the control, 25%, 50% and 100% inclusion levels. Results of Initial weight, feed intake (FI), average daily weight gain (ADWG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) did not show any significant difference (P>0.05) across all the treatments. This study has demonstrated that BSFLM can partially replace conventional SBM in the diet of broiler starter chicken.