Impact of live black soldier fly larvae supplementation on laying hen performance, stress levels and excreta microbiota.

ABSTRACT: As the global demand for poultry products, particularly eggs, continues to rise, identifying environmentally sustainable alternative protein sources is crucial and insect-based feeds, such as black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) represent a promising solution. This study investigated the effects of BSFL supplementation as environmental enrichment for laying hens, assessing its impact on bird performance, integument status, excreta corticosterone metabolites (ECMs) and microbiota composition. A total of 108 Lohman Brown hens were housed in 27 cages (nine replicates per treatment, four birds per pen) and monitored between 16 and 34 weeks of age. The hens were assigned to three dietary treatments: a control group fed a commercial diet, and two experimental groups supplemented with 15 % or 30 % of

SUBMITTER: Dabbou S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12214131 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature