EFFECT OF FEEDING BLACK SOLDIER FLY (Hermetia illucens) LARVAE MEAL AS PROTEIN SOURCE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF MEAT TYPE JAPANESE QUAIL
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Date
2022-02-25
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES MANNUTHY, THRISSUR, KERALA VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY
Abstract
The experiment was conducted in Department of Livestock Production Management, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy to evaluate the effect of feeding Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal as protein source in the performance of meat type Japanese quail. Black soldier fly larvae were produced through natural breeding and the larval yield were 493.17g and 244.35g larvae/month from 4kg food waste from modified bin and flower pot respectively. Seasonal variation was observed in the larval production and the yield was more during hotter months. Iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric diets were prepared using BSF larvae meal.A total of one hundred-and-eighty day-old meat type Japanese quail chicks were randomly allotted in to three dietary treatments with six replicates of ten birds each. Treatments were control, BSF25 and BSF50 and were fed with soyabean meal based diet, replaced 25 per cent soya bean meal with BSF larvae meal and replaced 50 per cent soya bean meal with BSF larvae meal respectively. Feed consumption and body weight gain were significantly higher for control group but BSF50 was superior in terms of feed conversion ratio and dressing per cent. No significant difference was observed in weight of abdominal fat, heart and gizzard with exception in the weight of the liver and was significantly higher in control group. Analysis of the margin of return revealed that both control and BSF25 ended in loss, the only group which ended in profit was BSF50. The study revealed that it is high time to find a cheap alternative for conventional protein source like soya bean meal and the findings in the present study pointed that black soldier fly larvae meal can very well be used, and replacing soya bean @ 50 per cent yielded the best results in margin of return.