Black fly larvae

High protein, easy-to-grow, and they help get rid of houseflies.

Black soldier fly larvae

Protein: 37%

Don't get grossed out. Growing BSF larvae for your chickens requires no hands-on work at all dealing with maggots and no rotten smells. They're a great supplement feed but are too low in methionine and lysine to be a big part of the diet.

Unlike other fly species, BSF larvae don't carry disease and like aerobic conditions, so they're unlikely to have botulism. You also don't need to hold your breath every time you harvest larvae (or feed them).

The soldier fly is a fantastic composter of almost everything except bone and eggshell, reducing its volume by 95%. Its larvae are a great high protein feed for poultry, and the medium they grow in can then be fed to a worm farm to produce superior castings for your garden.

Black soldier flies are common in NZ in northern regions. They're particularly attracted to grains and prefer partlybroken down feed rather than fresh.

They aren't pests like houseflies either. They tend to avoid human habitats, don't spread disease, sting or bite. They also dominate other fly species, reducing pest fly numbers such as houseflies.