The dynamite in a tiny package that can transform poultry farming
The cost of feed makes up almost 80% of poultry farming production costs. Small and emerging farmers are even more burdened by these costs: unlike large producers they do not deal in the volumes required to demand wholesale discounts and therefore pay retail prices for feed.
But a tiny black insect is taking the world by storm by producing high-quality protein chicken feed for poultry farmers at a fraction of the cost…. along with a number of positive side-effects and supplementary products.
What is the Black Soldier Fly?
This small black fly comes from South America but has been naturalised around the world. It does not bite or sting. What makes it ideal for farming is that it has strong mouthparts and a robust digestive system that can chew and digest almost anything. The larvae, which form the food component, grow extremely fast and consume huge amounts of waste. Farming with the Black Soldier Fly has become the largest sector of insect farming in the world.
How does the farm aspect work?
Farmers can either set up their own fly breeding modules, or they simply buy the tiny larvae from a breeder and set them to consuming waste. 10 g of neo-nates (two teaspoons of tiny larvae) can process a ton of waste within 14 days.
What kind of waste?
The larvae eats almost anything. Some factories use only coffee grounds or by-products from other industries (like this brewery by-product) but usually the waste is a combination of fruit and vegetable waste with a dry component like grain or husks. Animal waste can be used successfully as long as conditions are kept sanitary.
Who can use this?
Any farmer: poultry, pigs, fish. The larvae are a clean source of protein while the frass (the digested waste) forms a very good fertiliser for crops. It is recommended that farmers set up fly farms for themselves as the margin on selling the larvae to farmers is too small to make it easily viable. It is advantageous for small farmers to create co-operatives in order to split the costs.
What are some other benefits?
Not only does the Black Soldier Fly produce a high-quality food for livestock, but it uses up waste that would otherwise be thrown away; it can absorb by-products from other industries; it provides a high-nutrient fertiliser for crops; and it can even be processed into foods for human consumption.
There are many videos and tutorials available for the potential producer, such as this one from the US and this one from Kenya.
Agricultural website FoodForMzansi has compiled a compendium of articles to assist entrepreneurs interested in fly farming.
