Effects of dietary inclusion of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal on growth performance and carcass yield of broilers
Keywords:
Black Soldier fly, carcass evaluation, insect meal, performance, proteinAbstract
Black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) has been proven as a potential low-cost protein source that can replace soy bean meal in poultry diets. A study was conducted to determine the feed intake, growth performance and carcass characteristics of broilers fed a diet varying in inclusion levels of BSFLM. Day-old ROSS 308 broiler chicks (n = 60) reared on a starter commercial diet for the first three weeks were randomly allocated to one of the three broiler grower dietary treatments using a completely randomised design. The broiler grower diets were the control diet, which contained no BSFLM (T1), T2 contained 5% BSFLM and T3 contained 10% BSFLM replacing soybean meal. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the feed intake, where the control had the highest intake followed by 5% BSFLM inclusion. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the final live weight where the 5% BSFLM had the highest among the treatments and the control was the lowest. The inclusion of BSFLM had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the carcass weight and thighs weight with the highest mean for the 5% BSFLM inclusion and the lowest with the control treatment. There was no significant (p > 0.05) difference in the slaughter weight, wings, drumstick and breast muscles among the treatments. The study concludes that the inclusion of BSFLM at 5% had a positive effect on the growth performance, carcass yield and characteristics of broiler chickens.
Downloads
Downloads
- pdf 305 Downloads