Effects of dietary black soldier fly larvae meal inclusion on the growth performance and intestinal health of Silkie crossbreed chicken

Abstract Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal can be a sustainable alternative to soybean meal, however, its effects on slow-growing Silkie broilers have not been evaluated yet. Our objective was to assess the impact of dietary BSFL meal inclusion on feed conversion ratio (FCR) and intestinal health in Silkie chickens. During a three-week-long feeding trial, 72 female Silkie crossbreed chickens aged 39 days were randomly assigned to three isoenergetic (16.8 to 16.9 MJ/kg) diets: control containing 260 g/kg soybean meal (CON), and partial replacement of soybean meal with 50 g/kg (BSFL50) or 150 g/kg partially defatted BSFL meal (BSFL150), respectively. The observational units were cages of 3 birds each (n = 8). Weight gain, feed consumption, and FCR were monitored weekly. Serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS), D-lactate, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were analysed at the end of the trial using ELISA and colorimetric assay kits. Replacing soybean meal with BSFL meal had no significant impact on average body weight ( ) or daily feed consumption ( ) overall. However, BSFL150 significantly increased average daily weight gain ( ) and decreased feed conversion ratio ( ) during the second week, compared to the control. The inclusion of BSFL meal had no significant impact on serum LPS and ALP concentrations ( ; , respectively). However, comparing BSFL150 with BSFL50, the serum d -lactate concentration was significantly reduced ( ). In conclusion, replacing soybean meal with BSFL meal can increase weight gain and feed efficiency in Silkie crossbreed chicken, and BSFL150 can have a beneficial effect on intestinal health.