Perhaps 50 shades comes as a bit of an exaggeration, at least when it comes to dried black soldier flies, or any grubs. The range of colors that're likely to be observed when it comes to grubs ranges from golden to dark brown. So what does the difference in color between all these grubs mean? Is any one type better, more nutritious, or healthier than another? Why would there be any difference in the first place if we're talking about the same species of grubs - namely, black soldier fly larvae.

Without going too deep into the science and feed processing technology, and in order to avoid having you fall asleep while reading the article, a straightforward answer to all of these is that color doesn't give you sufficient info to know whether one type of grubs is better than another. A cheap and commercially available coloring can do the job and paint the grubs with whatever color is needed. This means that you shouldn't fall for marketing gimmicks such as "golden grubs are better" or "dark brown grubs are better". 

What does matter is that you check:

(1) Ingredients. What is in the box you're buying?

(2) Processing technology. How are the grubs made?

(3) Appearance. How do the grubs look like? (and do not limit this check to checking the color!)

Let's look into each one of these in greater detail:

(1) Ingredients.

In the case of our Supreme Grubs products, the sole ingredient in all of our products is 100% dried black soldier fly larvae. We do not add any colors, fillers, additives or preservatives to our larvae. The only downside of this is that the grubs won't last you for years, and you should try to use them up by the expiry date printed on the box, all the while ensuring they're stored in a dry and cool place.

(2) Processing technology.

Another crucial aspect is ensuring that the processing technology isn't an overkill - meaning, that it doesn't overly burn the larvae and all the macronutrients and minerals it contains. Our larvae is microwave dried and golden colored, and is processed within a few seconds in a large oven, ensuring the nutrients, natural goodness and bioavailability of a larvae are preserved. 

Airdried black soldier fly larvae tends to be a bit darker but even though the exposure to heat for airdried larvae is longer, the heat is of much lower temperature. This ensures that even in case of airdried black soldier fly larvae, nutrients are preserved and none of the natural goodness of a larvae is lost. 

Airdried larvae, although we currently are not selling it, is not an inferior or a superior product. It's just that the larvae is made using a different processing technology but the nutrients are all preserved.

(3) Appearance.

There are a couple of things to look at.

Firstly, a good larvae will not be crushed but whole. Of course, a few crushed pieces here and there are normal because of the handling and transportation, but the majority of larvae should be whole.

Secondly, while bigger is not always better, if larvae is both darker and smaller, it could be that it was collected during the pupae or pre-pupae stage which is means that it has grown out of the larvae stage, during which it is the most nutritious. Again, there could be a few darker and smaller grubs here and there but majority should still be big and plump, which would show that it was collected and processed in the larvae stage.

Conclusion

Next time you are buying grubs, as we mentioned, looking at the color won't tell you much about quality. You should try to understand how the grubs were processed, using which technology, and also give it a closer look to better understand if there could've been a risk of any nutrients being lost during processing, or if the grubs were collected and processed too late and after the larvae stage. While we didn't cover 50 shades of black soldier fly larvae colors, hope that the article made you better equipped with the knowledge needed to choose the best grubs for you!

We often get asked if black soldier fly larvae can be chicken's only source of food. To put it simply, the answer is that they probably can, but this kind of diet may not be ideal, neither for chickens nor for your wallet.

Chickens eating only dried larvae is akin to us humans eating a meat only diet. There are some people who are strong proponents of a meat only diet, but generally speaking there are just not enough studies looking at the long-term impacts of it. We do not really know what nutrients we are missing out on and may have to supplement with if we switch to a meat-only diet. Perhaps if you are getting your chickens ready for a bodybuilding competition, they may benefit from such a diet to get shredded but since such a discipline has not been established yet, you might want to hold off for now.

The other side effect of feeding chickens only black soldier fly larvae is the fact that such a diet would be much costlier than using a good layer feed. And you can think of this problem through the lens of humans consuming an all-meat diet. Ultimately, not all of the protein consumed can be used to pack muscle, or build tissue, or even produce eggs. Some of the protein will end up being used as a source of energy, something much cheaper carbohydrates could've been used for. So in that sense, the real reason why you shouldn't feed your chickens an all black soldier fly larvae diet isn't because it would be more expensive but because you just wouldn't be able to have any marginal improvement in chicken's health, egg production, or any other aspect of life, while at the same time you would be spending more money. tl;dr spend more and get the same result.

Truth be told, chickens (and we are talking free-range chickens here) are pretty much self sustaining as long as you are not raising them in Antarctica or Sahara desert, and this is not because of Antarctica or Saharan weather but the lack of vegetation and readily available sources of food. Chickens will finish off your food scraps, whatever they may be, since they are one of the least picky eaters you can find. Just like humans, chickens will also feel a mineral deficiency and may start finding interesting stuff in your garden to nibble on if they lack certain minerals, like Calcium.

But at the same time, survival is not the same as optimal living. Rarely anyone buys chickens with the idea of simply maintaining them alive. It would be both unethical and also it would be hard to reap any benefits from raising chickens. Sheer survival is sub-optimal living and this will affect the chickens in that they may not end up producing as many and high quality eggs, or may not reach the size they are genetically predisposed to get to - in case you are raising broilers. If you want your chickens to live a comfortable life and award you for taking care of them, you should get more involved when it comes to the type of feed to be used, treats and supplements. The same goes for other perks that go beyond nutrition, like heating, a nice chicken coop to keep them well protected against predators, etc.

You may have expected a slightly different answer from the makers of Supreme Grubs black soldier fly larvae but we believe your chicken's welfare is priority number one for us. To help your chickens stay happy and healthy, choose a good comprehensive feed to satisfy most of the basic nutritional and mineral requirements, but add some variety and supplement their base feed with treats to ensure your birds get all they need to reward you with plentiful and high quality eggs.

You might think that there's no way soy, in any form, whether it be soybean or soymeal can be bad for your birds. After all, it is in almost every single conventional feed formula. But think about why it is part of every single formula. Yes, it does provide a lot of protein, and therefore is supposed to cover most of the nutritional requirements for your pets or livestock. However, there's another, perhaps more important reason why it is in almost every single feed formula, and it's the fact that it is the cheapest form of protein you can find on the market. No other protein beats soy in terms of price. And that is what allows for soy to be part of most animal feeds, whether it be for birds or other pets (livestock as well).

And we are not even bringing up raw soybeans, which under no circumstance should be fed to poultry or any birds. This is because soybean seeds contain a trypsin inhibitor, which, to put it simply, makes it difficult for the ingested protein to be broken down and absorbed. And if something can't be broken down and absorbed it means that it may lead to a host of digestive problems. Staying far from raw soybeans is a smart choice for this reason.

Now back to heat treated soy, which is part of most feed formulas. While some people may be for or against GMO, it is worth pointing out that most of the soy in the US is GMO. And even chickens which are certified organic are fed soybeans or soymeal, again simply because it's cheap. Organic soy is no better, since soy in general is known to be a common allergen and these allergens will transfer to the meat or eggs produced from the chickens that are fed soy-based feeds. Soy is simply not a natural or a healthy source of protein for chickens regardless of it's GMO/Non-GMO or Organic/Non-Organic status. Chickens are known to eat everything but even as non-picky eaters, they wouldn't touch soy seeds if you were to put them in a soy field. 

Although from a macro-nutritional standpoint soy is perfect, with a high ratio of proteins, good fats and complex carbohydrates, it's the micronutrients that present a problem. A feed that is heavily reliant on soy can cause iron, zinc, manganese, calcium, vitamin E and other deficiencies and a lot of it is due to the fact that soy is very high in phytic acid, which blocks the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals. This will result in health issues, a compromised immune system and problems with bone & cartilage formation, egg production, growth and susceptibility to diseases. Aside from vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and even though it is one of the rare vegetable sources of protein with a complete amino acid profile, it still lacks methionine and cysteine, which are very important to enable healthy growth in chickens and recovery.

The last on the list of negative influences of soy is that soy contains micronutrients called phytoestrogens which mimic the hormone estrogen, and as such can negatively impact bird's endocrine system. Any introduction of hormones is bound to cause problems for the birds, just like it does for humans, unless it is addressing a deficiency and is carefully supervised by specialists. 

While we are no enemies of soy, in minimal quantities, here's our view of soy as a feed ingredients in bird formulas.

Positive aspects of soy in feed formulas:

- Price. World's cheapest form of protein.

- Macro-nutritional profile. Defatted version can have up to 50% of protein, and about a 30% of carbohydrates. 

Negative aspects of soy in feed formulas:

- Anti-nutritional properties. Raw soy prevents protein breakdown and absorption. Heat treated soy prevents uptake of essential minerals and vitamins such as calcium, manganese, iron, zinc and vitamin E.

- Lack of essential amino acids. Soy is low in methionine and cysteine, both promoters of growth and feathering.

- Soy is not a natural choice for chickens. Chickens would never go after soy seeds even if they were on a soy field.

- Most soy on the market is GMO and especially the one used in feed formulas.

To conclude, we hope to have given you something to think about when you are choosing your next feed. In times to come, we are certain that the ingredient which will replace soy in commercial formulas is going to become insect-based protein such as the one from black soldier fly larvae and/or mealworms.