Cafeteria-Type Feeding of Chickens Indicates a Preference for Insect ( Tenebrio molitor ) Larvae Meal

• Published in: Animals (Basel) 2020-04, Vol.10 (4), p.627
• Main Authors: Nascimento Filho, Marcos Antonio, Pereira, Raquel Tatiane, Oliveira, Ana Beatriz Santos de, Suckeveris, Diana, Burin Junior, Alvaro Mario, Mastrangelo, Thiago de Araújo, Costa, Diego Vicente da, Menten, José Fernando Machado
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acceptability; alternative ingredient; Amino acids; Animal feeding and feeds; Birds; Bivariate analysis; broiler; Chickens; Conversion ratio; Diet; Emission standards; Extrusion; Fatty acids; Feed conversion; Feed efficiency; Feeders; Feeds; Food; Food and nutrition; insect meal; Insects; Insects as food; Larvae; Methods; Nutrition research; Nutritional aspects; nutritional value; Phosphorus; Poultry; Proteins; Software; Soybeans; Sustainable agriculture; Tenebrio molitor
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani10040627

This study aimed to determine whether broiler chickens display a preference for larvae (TM) meal by evaluating ingredient acceptability and birds' performance. Sixty 14-day-old male chickens were assigned into two treatment groups (5 birds/pen, = 6) in a cafeteria-type study: the control (C) group, and the TM group. Each pen was equipped with one bell drinker and four through feeders allocated side by side; all feeders of the C group contained a complete standard diet whereas each feeder of the TM group contained one of the following ingredients: ground corn, extruded semi-whole soybean, vitamin-mineral supplement mixture, and TM meal. Feed intake was recorded daily and growth was monitored periodically up to day 32. Chickens which had access to individual feed components showed a delay to display preference for TM, but consumed, overall, up to 50% of the total intake as TM meal. Feed intake and growth performance were lower in all periods for TM group ( < 0.02), whereas feed conversion ratio was improved on days 22-28 and days 29-32 of age ( < 0.01). Data from bivariate and multidimensional analysis indicate that birds started to reach a balance of ingredient intake at 25 days of age, showing a high correlation between consumption of each ingredient and the day of the experiment. Chickens exhibited a preference for meal, resulting in improved feed efficiency, which allows us to conclude that it can be a suitable feed alternative for poultry.