Musca

Ecology

Biology

Meal

Fish <Actinopterygii>

Animal science

Fishery

Endocrinology

Housefly

Botany

Food science

Larva

Body weight

Maggot

Fish meal

Broiler

Nutrient

Weight gain

Nigerian Journal of Animal Production

The effects of replacing 0, 33.3, 66.7 or 100% of dietary fish meal (9%) with housefly maggots (Musca domestica. Linn) was investigated using broilers from day old to 5 weeks of age. Increasing the dietary level of maggots reduced feed intake and weight gain while increasing the feed: gain ratio (P&gt;0.05), There was however no significant effect of dietary maggots on mortality rate (P&gt;0.05). Replacement of dietary fish meal with maggots caused significant reduction in nitrogen retention (P&lt;0.05) but an increase in fat retention (P&gt;0.05). There was no significant effect of replacing dietary fish meal with maggots on the metabolizable energy value of the diets (P&gt;0.05). It is concluded that maggots could replace only 33% of dietary fish meal (9%) without compromising performance and nutrient retention in broiler chicks. The cost of harvesting and processing maggots is about 15% of equivalent weight of fish meal, making even partial replacement of fishmeal with maggots economical.

Replacement Of Fish Meal With Maggots In Broiler Diets: Effects On Performance And Nutrient Retention