Feed company ForFarmers has launched a trial together with the Department of Entomology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, to investigate feeding live insects to broilers as a source of dietary protein.

Company spokesperson Leon Marchal said the trial promised greater sustainability and a return to more natural nutrition and behaviour for the birds. Martial said of the research, “The most important research question is whether the chicks are growing healthily and at a sufficient rate in comparison to a traditional diet. We also want to look at whether the broilers’ natural behaviour will improve as a result of the addition of live insects. If this project proves to be a success, it will be an important step towards further sustainability within the industry.”
 
The trial is being conducted at ForFarmers’ experimental farm in Nijkerk, Netherlands, where a total of 1000 chicks are being fed in four different groups. A control group will be given a traditional diet, while the remaining three will be given 5%, 10% or 15% respectively of black soldier fly larvae. The high protein content of these larvae replaces up to 75% of a protein like soya.
 
Natural nutrition and behaviour

The trial with the broilers started last week. Though the initial results are expected in September, company spokespeople acknowledged that it may yet be a long time before insects return to the diets of farmed poultry.

ForFarmers’ Marchal added, “The nice thing here is that chickens in the wild are naturally omnivorous and insects would feature as part of their diet, the outcome of the project therefore could be to help birds further express their natural behavior.”