Upgrading the nutritive value of full-fat soyabeans meal for broiler production with either fishmeal or black soldier fly larvae meal (Hermetia illucens)

An experiment was conducted using Anak Red broiler chicks to evaluate the effect of grading the nutritive value of full fat soyabean meal diet based with either fishmeal or Blaick soldier fly larvae meal for broiler production. The average live weight gains of broilers fed an all vegetable protein, fishmeal and larvae meal diets at 10 weeks of age were 1465g, 2045g and 2015g respectively. The corresponding feed consumption values for same period were 4140g, 4878g and 5075g while the figures for the feed/gain ratio were 2.8 2.4 and 2.6 respectively. Significant (P<0.05) treatment effects in favour of diet upgraded with the larvae meal were obtained in the carcass yield, internal organ measurements (kidney, gizzard and liver) and the abdominal fat. The amino acid profile of the larvae meal compared favourably with that of fishmeal and also found to be superior to that of soybean meal. The study suggests that inclusion of protein of animal or insect origin to an all-vegetable diet was very desirable for better nutrient utilization. The results also revealed that under the conditions of the experiment, larvae meal could replace fish meal to upgrade the nutritive value of soyabean meal in the broiler starter and finisher rations without any adverse effect on the rate of gain, feed consumption and feed: gain ratio. Key words: Black soldier fly, larvae meal, soybean meal, fish meal, broiler