RESPONSE OF BROILER CHICKENS FED DIETS CONTAINING TOASTED BLACK SOLDIER FLY (Hermetia illucens) LARVAE MEAL WITH VARYING ENZYME INCLUSION ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, HEMATOLOGICAL AND SERUM BIOCHEMICAL INDICES

Abstract

Black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) were investigated as one of a promising and sustainable alternative protein source for poultry nutrition because of its favourable nutritional composition and potential to reduce dependence on conventional feed ingredients. This study evaluated the effects of toasted defatted black soldier fly larvae meal (TDBSFLM) supplemented with different enzyme inclusion levels on growth performance, haematological parameters, and serum biochemical indices of broiler chickens. The experiment was conducted at the Poultry Unit, Department of Animal Science, Taraba State University, Jalingo. A total of 200-day-old Cobb 500 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments in a completely randomized design, with 40 birds per treatment and eight birds per replicate. The diets consisted of a control treatment (T1) and diets supplemented with enzymes at 250, 350, 450, and 550 g/ton (T2–T5), respectively. At the starter phase, significant differences were observed in final body weight and total weight gain. At the finisher phase, significant differences were observed in growth performance parameters, except total and daily feed intake. Serum biochemical indices were not significantly affected by enzyme inclusion, although albumin differed significantly among treatments. Haematological parameters, including packed cell volume, red blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin, were significantly influenced by enzyme supplementation. The study concluded that dietary inclusion of TDBSFLM with enzyme supplementation up to 550 g/ton enhanced broiler growth performance without any adverse effects on the health status of the birds.