Feed intake (FI), egg production (EP), egg weight (EW), egg mass (EM), feed conversion ratio per dozen eggs (FCRD) and feed conversion ratio per egg mass (FCRM), yolk, eggshell, albumen and excreta dry matter (EDM) content were evaluated.
The feed intake, egg weight, egg mass and feed conversion efficiency were not significantly different (P > 0.05) among the treatment groups.
No significant difference (P > 0.05) was found among the treatment groups on overall feed intake, egg weight, egg mass and feed conversion efficiency.
There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) among the treatment groups on overall feed intake, egg weight, egg mass and feed conversion efficiency (Table 2).
There was no significant difference of the different levels of substitution of soybean meal by sunflower meal on the laying rate (P = 0.14), egg mass (P = 0.06), feed conversion (P = 0.20) and egg weight (P = 0.35).
Therefore, CO2 production per kg of mass gain suggests higher feed conversion efficiencies for insects than for mammalian livestock.
The experimental data were compared by diet using one-way analysis of variance for production parameters: egg weight, number of eggs, feed intake, feed conversion, excreta dry mass, excreta % dry mass, and change in bird bodyweight.
The ADG of all insect species in this study was higher than for conventional livestock, while CO2 production expressed as g/kg mass gain was comparable or lower, which indicates higher feed conversion efficiencies for insects.
In the past decade, high dosages of clenbuterol (ten to one hundred times the clinically active dose) have been fed to livestock to improve feed conversion, reduce body fat and increase muscle mass [ 2, 3].
Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is a measure of efficiency in converting feed into increased body mass.
