Blood chemistry of medium-growing male and female chickens supplemented black soldier fly live larvae

Effects of live larvae provision on poultry chemical blood parameters have been poorly investigated. This study aims to evaluate the changes in blood chemistry parameters in medium-growing chickens supplemented black soldier fly (BSF) live larvae. Two hundred and forty 21d old sexed Label Naked Neck birds were divided into 4 experimental groups: females fed basal organic feed (BOF), males fed BOF, females fed BOF + 10% BSF live larvae supplementation based on the expected daily feed intake (DFI) and males fed BOF + 10% BSF live larvae supplementation based on the DFI (6 replicates/diet, 10 birds/replicate). Blood samples were collected at slaughter (82d old) from 2 birds/pen (12 birds/treatment). Serum samples were used for biochemical analysis. A compact liquid chemistry analyzer system (BT 1500 vet–Futurlab) was used to determine the concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (U/I), aspartate aminotransferase (U/I), creatinine total proteins (mg/dl), uric acid (mg/dl), cholesterol (mg/dl), triglycerides (mg/dl), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT, U/I), phosphorus (mg/dl) and magnesium (mg/dl). Data were analyzed by GLMM (SPSS software, P0.05) in both sexes, thus being indicative of a good health status of the birds. Moreover, the GGT was detected in lower concentrations in the supplemented groups than in the control groups (P