What to feed Black Soldier Fly larvae

I just got my order of Black Soldier Fly Larvae and I want to make sure Im feeding them an okay diet. I made a quick mixture last night and I wanted to make sure it will be okay for these guys. It consists of about 80% rabbit poop, 10% chicken poop, 5% eggs, 5% chicken feed that I picked up from under the chicken feeder. I mixed it all up and added some water to get the moisture level up. Is this okay for them to eat right now? How wet should I keep the pile? Is there anything that I shouldnt be feeding them?

I also have the following items in bulk that I can feed them if anyone wants to give me some suggestions on a good mixture!

human poo mixed in peat moss (the BSF were purchased specifically to compost human poo)

chicken poo

chicken poo with some hay mixed in

rabbit poo

old chicken feed from the ground of the chicken coop (the top layer of this is dry, however Im sure once I start digging into this pile the feed below will be wet and very nasty)

I can also mix in some eggs from the chickens if that helps, but odiously id like to keep the eggs down to a minimum.


Thanks for all your help!!

rotten food, meat scraps, anything you don't want in your compost pile.

Your ideas are great and your BSF should be very happy! They won't reduce the volume of something like humanure by more than half, but that's still significant. The idea is to find things for them to eat that won't be used that way elsewhere on your farm. I even found they would eat poisonous mushrooms gathered in the forest! If you are a town scrounger, there are things out there that not even chickens will mess with but BSF love. Coffee grounds come first to mind (though these are a unique resource, being semi-sterile.....they can also be used to grow edible mushrooms); and anything moldy (since moldy feed will put your chickens off laying).....

The easiest things to do wrong with BSF are to drown them and to cook them. Do not worry much about what you feed them, as long as it is not heavy in cellulose or lignin. those they do not manage very well. Otherwise, have at it. Typically the food you give them will have enough water content to meet their needs. If for some reason you are feeding them a really dry diet, you may need to add some water, but for the most part it seems to be the case that people have more trouble with liquid build up in their bins than with drying out.

And yeah, they won't reduce the volume of manure the way they will other things, but even then they will reduce it significantly, and turn waste into food for something.

I am not sure whether or not there is a consensus about the wisdom of feeding chickens BSF larvae raised on chicken poop or not. Likewise I am uncertain about how well they dispose of potential pathogens in human waste, which might make me hesitate to use them to feed something I planned on eating further down the line.