Microbial communities in the caecum of chickens

This trial aimed to study the effect of cardoon cake as an alternative protein source to soybean meal on the performance, welfare and meat quality of broilers. Birds were assigned to one of the four dietary experimental groups: control group fed a basa diet, basal diet with soybean mealas its main protein source, basal diet with 15% of soybean meal replaced with black soldier fly (Hermaetia illucens) meal, basal diet with 15% soybean meal replaced with cardoon cake; SC20 group, basal diet with 20% of soybean meal replaced with cardoon cake.