Growth characteristics and meat quality of broiler chickens fed earthworm meal from Eudrilus eugeniae as a protein source

The demand and cost of animal-based protein sources for broiler chickens production like fish meal has increased in many countries. An alternative protein source can be earthworm meal (EWM). A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing broiler chickens diets with EWM derived from dried Eudrilus eugeniae on growth performance, carcass attributes, and the meat quality of broiler chickens. The starter and finisher basal diets were formulated to contain 10% fish meal and it was replaced with 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7% EWM. For the experiment, 150 one-day-old broiler chickens were randomly assigned to the 5 diets with 3 pens per diet and 10 broiler chickens per pen. Based on the data recorded in the experiment, the body weight gain (BWG), and the feed intake (FI) were computed. At 6 wk of age, 3 broiler chickens were randomly selected from each pen to assess their organ weights and sensory characteristics. Overall, there was a quadratic and cubic effect on BWG when EWM supplementation was increased (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the overall FI of broiler chickens with increase in the supplementation of EWM. As the dietary supplementation of EWM increased, the juiciness in breast meat of the broiler chickens increased quadratically (P < 0.05) while the flavor increased linearly (P < 0.05). However, there were no differences in broiler chickens meat aroma, first bite, chewiness, and the amount of residues as dietary EWM increased. Supplementation of EWM did not affect broiler chickens meat quality in terms of pH and drip loss. The EWM may be a suitable source of protein for broiler chickens production and a particularly useful substitute for fish meal. More research is required to determine the optimal inclusion rate for the most affordable, and nutritious broiler chickens diet, and to sufficiently understand the wider im-plications of alternative feed sources on the ecologic, economic, and environmental impact of broiler chickens production.