I started feeding black soldier fly larvae to my flock almost by accident. My usual bag of dried mealworms was backordered, I grabbed a 5-pound bag of Adaman BSFL as a stopgap, and within two weeks I noticed my eggs were cracking differently when I dropped them into the bowl. As in, they were not cracking. The shells were genuinely thicker. That was two years ago. I have not gone back to mealworms as a primary treat since.
If you are still on the mealworm train and have not looked hard at BSFL, here are the 10 reasons I kept reaching for that same bag of Adaman again and again.
If your hens are laying thin-shelled eggs, this is the first thing I would change.
The Adaman BSFL 5 LBS is the bag I have been buying for two years straight. Rated 4.7 stars across more than 3,400 reviews, it is one of the most trusted treats in the backyard chicken community. Check today's price on Amazon.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →The Calcium Content Is Not Even Close
Dried mealworms have about 0.05% calcium. Black soldier fly larvae clock in around 34 times higher. For hens who are laying every day and pulling calcium from their own bones when their diet falls short, that gap matters. I started seeing thicker, harder shells within about 10 days of switching to Adaman BSFL as my daily treat. Oyster shell is still in the coop, but I use less of it now.
Molt Recovery Is Faster When Protein Is High
Feathers are roughly 85% protein. When a hen goes into a hard molt, she is essentially building a new coat from scratch while her laying stops and her body diverts everything to regrowth. I have been adding an extra handful of Adaman BSFL during molt season for three years now and my girls come out of it faster and fuller than they did when I was just throwing scratch and mealworms at them.
Treat Time Is Calmer Than With Mealworms
Mealworms trigger something close to a feeding frenzy in my flock. The second that bag crinkles, everyone runs, the lower-ranking birds get pushed out, and at least one hen ends up chasing another one across the run. BSFL cause way less of that chaos. The treat scatter is still exciting, but the intensity is lower. My Buff Orpington named Biscuit actually gets to eat some now.
Yolk Color Gets Noticeably Deeper
BSFL are rich in beta-carotene and other carotenoids that directly influence yolk pigmentation. Within three to four weeks of making Adaman BSFL a daily addition, I started cracking eggs into the pan and noticing the yolks had shifted from medium yellow to a deeper orange. Not neon, not fake-looking, just noticeably richer. Anyone who has sold eggs at the farmers market knows customers pay attention to that.
Within two weeks I noticed my eggs were cracking differently when I dropped them into the bowl. As in, they were not cracking. The shells were genuinely thicker.
They Stay Fresh Longer Than Dried Mealworms
Dried mealworms go rancid fast once a bag is open, especially in a warm coop environment. I have thrown out more than a few half-bags that started to smell off. Adaman BSFL hold up much better in a sealed bucket in the feed room. The moisture content is lower and the fat profile is more shelf-stable. A 5-pound bag lasts me about three weeks with eight hens, and I have never had to throw any out mid-bag.
The Fat-to-Protein Ratio Is Better Balanced
Dried mealworms are around 53% protein and 28% fat, which sounds impressive until you realize the fat content means a hen can get too many calories quickly. BSFL sit around 42% protein with a similar fat level but better amino acid distribution, particularly for laying hens. You can feed a more generous portion without worrying you are stuffing your birds into obesity the way a heavy mealworm habit can. I feed about a tablespoon per hen per day and no one is getting fat.
It Counts as Behavioral Enrichment, Not Just a Treat
Scatter feeding BSFL gives hens something to hunt for, especially if you toss them into a patch of long grass or mix them in with some scratch near the compost pile. That foraging behavior reduces boredom pecking and keeps idle birds occupied. I have a silkie named Peaches who used to feather-pick her own chest when she got bored in winter. Since I started scatter feeding Adaman BSFL in the afternoons, she has mostly stopped.
No Corn Filler, No Weird Additives
The Adaman bag is 100% dried black soldier fly larvae. That is the full ingredient list. A lot of the cheap treat bags at the farm store have corn, wheat middlings, or unspecified grain fillers that water down the nutritional value you are paying for. When I am adding a supplement-level treat, I want the treat to actually do the job, not just add empty filler calories.
Hens That Have Never Tried Them Take to Them Immediately
I have introduced BSFL to three batches of new pullets over the past two years. Every single time, the girls figure out what BSFL are within one feeding. With mealworms I occasionally get a skeptical bird who takes a few days to warm up. BSFL seem to hit some primal instinct, maybe because they resemble what free-ranging hens find in rotting wood or leaf piles. Whatever the reason, palatability is not a problem with Adaman.
The Cost Per Feeding Works Out Lower Than Mealworms
Dried mealworms cost more per pound than BSFL and you feed more of them per session because the calcium-to-calorie ratio means you need more volume to get the same nutritional benefit. The Adaman 5-pound bag at today's price stretches meaningfully further than a comparable bag of mealworms, especially for a flock of six to ten birds. Over the course of a laying season, that math adds up. I checked my feed receipts from last year and I spent about 30% less on treats after switching.
What I Would Skip
Not every BSFL bag is the same. I have tried off-brand versions that were smaller, dustier, and had an off smell right out of the bag. One bag from an unnamed brand left residue that smelled like fish oil gone bad. I kept coming back to Adaman specifically because the larvae are plump, consistently sized, and smell neutral, which sounds like a low bar but turns out to matter when your flock starts turning their beaks up at subpar batches. I would skip any bag that comes with vague sourcing claims or a suspiciously low price point. You get what you pay for and your hens will tell you immediately if it is not right.
I would also skip feeding BSFL as more than about 10% of total daily diet. They are a supplement and an enrichment treat, not a replacement for a complete layer feed. I aim for roughly a tablespoon per bird per day. More than that and I have seen hens start to skip their pellets, which causes other nutritional gaps down the line. Keep it proportional and BSFL will do nothing but good things for your flock. If you want the full deep dive on how BSFL stacks up head-to-head against dried mealworms, I put together a detailed breakdown in my BSFL vs dried mealworms comparison. And if you want to see exactly what 30 days of daily BSFL did to my egg quality, shell thickness, and flock behavior, the full story is in my Adaman BSFL review.
I checked my feed receipts from last year and I spent about 30% less on treats after switching. The math on BSFL just works.
Your hens will tell you within the first feeding whether this is the treat they have been waiting for.
The Adaman Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae 5 LBS is what I reach for every single time. At 4.7 stars across more than 3,400 reviews, it is the most trusted BSFL bag on Amazon for backyard flocks. Check today's price and see if it is in stock.
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