Black soldier fly larvae meal draws fresh interest in broilers

CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: A new broiler nutrition study in Veterinary Sciences tested whether black soldier fly larvae meal could replace soybean meal in Ross 708 diets without hurting performance or health. Researchers assigned 160 chicks to diets in which black soldier fly larvae meal replaced 0%, 20%, 40%, or 60% of soybean meal on an equivalent basis across starter, grower, and finisher phases. The broader literature suggests that insect meal can work as a partial soybean substitute in poultry, but results become less consistent as inclusion rises, especially when black soldier fly meal replaces a large share of conventional protein. That pattern fits earlier broiler work showing that low insect-meal inclusion can be tolerated without harming growth: in one large Animals trial, adding 2% or 4% full-fat Hermetia illucens or Tenebrio molitor meal did not affect growth, feed conversion, or mortality, and insect-fed birds had higher breast yield, though some meat-quality shifts were noted at higher inclusion. In the U.S., dried black soldier fly larvae are already recognized by AAFCO for use in poultry feed, which gives the finding practical relevance beyond the lab. (aafco.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals and poultry advisers, the real question isn’t just whether insect protein is sustainable, but where the nutritional ceiling is. Prior reviews and broiler studies have found that modest inclusion levels can support growth, gut health, and some blood or immune markers, while higher replacement rates may reduce performance or alter meat fat composition, including more lauric acid and saturated fat. That caution also lines up with other low-soy diet research: a separate broiler study found that simply cutting soybean meal by 10% increased mortality, feed intake, and reduced ether extract availability, while also shifting cecal microbiota toward more Helicobacter and Campylobacterota, underscoring that soybean reduction itself can create nutritional and gut-health tradeoffs if the replacement strategy is not well balanced. That means black soldier fly larvae meal looks promising as a tool to reduce soybean dependence, but formulation, processing quality, amino acid balance, chitin content, and inclusion rate still matter. (mdpi.com)

What to watch: Watch for follow-up work that defines the safest and most economical inclusion range, and for more field-scale data tying bird performance to feed formulation, ingredient processing, gut effects, and meat quality outcomes. Evidence from other species points in the same direction: black soldier fly meal has shown threshold effects in fish, with about 10% inclusion supporting gut health while higher levels worsened intestinal condition, suggesting that “how much is too much” will likely remain a central question across animal nutrition. (publish.csiro.au)