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Growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and serum profile of broiler chicks fed on housefly maggot meal as a replacement of soybean meal
Author(s) -
Elahi Usman,
Ma Youbiao,
Wu Shugeng,
Wang Jing,
Zhang Haijun,
Qi Guanghai
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1111/jpn.13265
Subject(s) - broiler , soybean meal , meal , starter , feed conversion ratio , zoology , biology , housefly , food science , body weight , endocrinology , raw material , ecology , botany , musca , larva
Summary A study was conducted to invesstigate the housefly maggot meal (HMM) as an alternative protein source to replace the soybean meal in broiler chick's diet. A total of 720 1‐day‐old male broiler chicks were divided into three groups and fed diets formulated with HMM to replace soybean meal at the rate of 0%, 4% and 8%. The study lasted for 42 days in two phases. Results showed that HMM addition did not markedly affect body weight, average daily body weight gain and average daily feed intake of the broiler chicks. Feed conversion ratio increased linearly (1–21 days) in starter or quadratically (22–42 days) in the grower phase. HMM non‐significantly increased the feed intake and body weight during the grower phase. Slight changes were observed for decrease of blood biochemical indices in the platelets (day 21), and alkaline phosphatase and lysozyme (day 42), and increase for red blood cells, packed cell volume, total protein and uric acid on day 42; however, the fluctuations were within the physiological range. Non‐significant effects were observed for carcass composition and meat quality, except that HMM numerically reduced the shear force of breast muscle (linear, p = .058). These results are the strong evidence that HMM can be used as an alternative protein source at 8% in broiler chick's diet without any adverse effect on chick's performance.