Soldier Fly feed

[imacowgirl2]

So, as I suspected, basically 0 (or at least a very small percent) of the protein is from BSFL…which doesn’t surprise me considering the cost of BSFL vs corn/soybeans, but I was hoping it was higher.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

I don't know about feed, but I have a soldier fly farm out of my compost bin in the summer that I supplement my hens with.

tell me how!

 

[kmpcfp]

tell me how!

It was completely unintentional. I have a compost bin kind of like this: https://www.amazon.com/Redmon-Compo...678144441&sprefix=compost+vin,aps,170&sr=8-15

I use this one only for kitchen/garden scraps and occasional shavings (from chick brooder). The soldier flies find it themselves and by mid summer I have tons of larvae and pupae in there. The larvae tend to flock to the freshest scraps and I just scoop them up and give them a quick rinse before throwing them to the chickens. Some people make a chute I guess for the pupae to fall into, but I haven't gotten that far yet

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

It was completely unintentional. I have a compost bin kind of like this: https://www.amazon.com/Redmon-Compost-Bin-Wingdigger-Combo/dp/B005I63ELS/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?crid=B8QTWP085LJ1&keywords=compost+bin&qid=1678144441&sprefix=compost+vin,aps,170&sr=8-15

I use this one only for kitchen/garden scraps and occasional shavings (from chick brooder). The soldier flies find it themselves and by mid summer I have tons of larvae and pupae in there. The larvae tend to flock to the freshest scraps and I just scoop them up and give them a quick rinse before throwing them to the chickens. Some people make a chute I guess for the pupae to fall into, but I haven't gotten that far yet

interesting! how do you know they're soldier fly larvae and not house fly maggots? that's where I get confused

 

[MNL]

Can you post a photo of the ingredients list from the package?

I have been very interested in that feed, but I cannot find the ingredients list anywhere.

From the labels on the front of the package, I cannot tell if they are using the fly larvae as a major source of protein, or just a tiny bit with a lot of advertising. I would hope they have a lot, but as I said I haven't managed to find a label to actually see.

 

[MNL]

Purina told me that the High Protein is replacing their Free range and the difference is:
"The only nutrient change was more protein. The source of the added protein could vary among plants and what ingredients are available. It is likely that there is more soybean meal in the feed as a result of the increase in protein. The amount of black soldier fly larvae in the product is the same. The dealer should be able to get High Protein, but that is a discussion that the customer will need to have with the dealer."
I had emailed them to find out if it was being replaced and what the difference is, also told them I couldn't get it at Agway or Tractor Supply anymore.

 

[nugget-tn]

I don't know about feed, but I have a soldier fly farm out of my compost bin in the summer that I supplement my hens with.

I've been wanting to do this as well did you buy a pre-made bin or did you make yours

 

[Jeyess]

have you guys tried this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV723VX7?&linkCode=sl1&tag=drygrubsoldie-20&linkId=b21cf2011bda0afc8990867abbaf0dd6&language=es_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl seems to be new and it looks good for price and quantity right?

 

[MNL]

have you guys tried this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV723VX7?&linkCode=sl1&tag=drygrubsoldie-20&linkId=b21cf2011bda0afc8990867abbaf0dd6&language=es_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl seems to be new and it looks good for price and quantity right?

I do give them dried meal worms and grub larvae as snacks. I was in search of a pellet form of food containing the insect protein so as to not have to think about balancing their nutrition. They love the dried worms!

 

[GrandmaOrpington]

I feed my chickens Purina Layena free range because it uses Soldier Fly partially as its protein source. I chose this food because it made sense to me that this is what mostly matched what a chicken would eat in "nature" not soy. I also was trying to stay away from soy as much as possible to due its connection with estrogen and breast cancer, etc in humans and concerned about it passing on the effects of soy in their egg production. Does anyone know of another brand that uses this as its protein source in a complete pellet form? I'm having a hard time finding Purina lately. Also, why isn't soldier fly more widely used in poultry feed pellets, if anyone knows? It just seems like it would be an obvious choice for a protein source to me.

I give Soldier Fly to my hens every day in small amounts. It is not cheap so I'm sure that is why most producers do not include it.