Optimize using black soldier fl y larvae reared onchicken manure as an alternative feed in the insectfarming industry

Abstract

In April 2022, the State Information Service (SIS) released statistics indicating that Egypt produced over1.4 billion birds overall, including 320 million chickens. The high price of chicken feed presents Egyptwith a signifi cant challenge. As many research suggested the use of chicken manure (CM) as asubstitute feed, Egypt may transform it to a reasonably priced and readily available for chicken feed byusing black soldier fl y larvae (BSFL). BSFL fed on pure CM don’t gain signifi cant weight and often died,this research aims to investigate the effects of adding different ratios of bread waste (BW) to CM toincrease BSF larval development. The best results were obtained when BW was added to CM at a 1:1ratio. Four bacterial isolates were isolated from BSF eggs, while one bacterial isolate, Morganellamorganii , was isolated from the larval gut. On adding the bacterial isolates to different substrates, M.morganii showed the highest effect on larval weight and conversion rate, which may highlight itspotential as a benefi cial bacterial isolate for BSF cultivation. Further research is needed to explore thesemechanisms, assess the potential of these bacterial isolates, and optimize the use of bacterialsupplementation in insect farming systems.