Effects of dietary inclusion of Hermetia illucens and Pomacea canaliculata with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens supplementation on performance and egg quality of laying Mojosari ducks.

Abstract

Background and aim: The rising costs and limited availability of conventional feed ingredients, particularly fishmeal and soybean meal, have prompted the exploration of alternative protein sources for sustainable laying duck production. Hermetia illucens larvae and Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck) are locally available, protein-rich resources with considerable nutritional potential; however, their use in laying duck diets remains limited due to concerns about nutrient digestibility and feed efficiency. Supplementation with probiotics such as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens may improve nutrient utilization and support laying performance when unconventional feed ingredients are used. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of dietary inclusion of an H. illucens larvae and P. canaliculata (HI-PCL) meal blend supplemented with B. amyloliquefaciens on the performance, egg quality, and economic efficiency of laying Mojosari ducks.

Materials and methods: A total of 200 laying Mojosari ducks aged 25 weeks were used in a 6-week feeding trial arranged in a completely randomized design with four dietary treatments and five replicates per treatment. The treatments consisted of different inclusion levels of an HI-PCL meal blend (80% HI and 20% PCL) in the diets: 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%. All ducks received B. amyloliquefaciens supplementation through drinking water throughout the experiment. Parameters evaluated included feed intake, daily egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion ratio (FCR), yolk index, Haugh unit, yolk color, egg dimensions, and income over feed cost (IOFC). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance followed by Duncan's Multiple Range Test at p < 0.05.

Results: Dietary inclusion of the HI-PCL meal blend significantly affected (p < 0.05) feed intake, egg production, egg weight, egg mass, FCR, yolk index, Haugh unit, yolk color, and IOFC. Ducks fed the 15% HI-PCL diet showed the best productive performance, with daily egg production of 72.38%, egg weight of 68.96 g, egg mass of 49.66 g/bird/day, and FCR of 3.14. Yolk color intensity also increased significantly at the 15% inclusion level. However, egg length and egg width were not significantly affected (p > 0.05) by dietary treatment. The highest IOFC value (Indonesian rupiah [IDR] 847,176.64) was recorded in the 15% HI-PCL treatment.

Conclusion: Inclusion of a 15% HI-PCL meal blend supplemented with B. amyloliquefaciens improved laying performance, feed efficiency, yolk pigmentation, and economic return in Mojosari ducks without adversely affecting egg physical characteristics. Under the formulation used in this study, the HI-PCL blend completely replaced fish meal and reduced soybean meal inclusion by approximately 40%, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable alternative protein source for laying duck diets.