Abstract

The present study was assigned to assess the production and nutritional value of maggots (housefly larvae, Musca domestica) meals produced in chicken droppings and pig slurry as substrates and their effects on growth performance and serological parameters of broiler chicks at the starter phase. A control ration without animal meal (R0) was compared to three other rations containing respectively 5 fishmeal (FM), blood meal (BM) and maggots (MA). The rations were randomly distributed to 4 groups (T0, FM, BM, and MA) of 56 chicks each. Slurry supplemented with bovine blood has been shown to be more productive than other substrates, with a maximum production of 246.75 g per 2 kg of substrate after five days of incubation. The highest average temperature (28.28 ± 3.43°C) was recorded in chicken droppings around 12 hours of the day. The pupae appear before the 10th day and breeding was no longer productive after the 15th day, both in hen droppings and in pig manure supplemented or not with blood. The humidity and temperature variations in the two substrates did not have any noticeable effects on the production and chemical composition of the maggots. Proximate analysis of maggot flour revealed a high content of protein (41-57), ash (7.31-8.26) and minerals such as phosphorus (5.25-5.55), calcium (1.92-3.92) and magnesium (7.04-7.92). The growth performance and development of regulatory organs and digestive organs such as liver, kidneys, intestine, and bursa of Fabricius of the chicks were not significantly affected by the dietary treatments. In conclusion, the production and nutritional value of maggots depend on the type and composition of the substrate and can be safely use as proteins sources in broilers at the starter phase of production. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.