Mealworms and other treats

Really Jensownzoo? Poop isn't the problem here and "spotter" seems to be looking for science based information as am I. Transmission of parasites and disease from meal worms in commercial feeds is avoided by the graneries through "best practices" because of the risks to the hens, then we grow and add mealworms deliberately for a protein source. Wild and crazy contaminated meal worms :) are everywhere and could easily contaminate home mealworm colonies through multiple avenues. I grow my colonies in wheat bran which could have been easily contaminated by "wild" meal worms while in storage.
 
Really Jensownzoo?  Poop isn't the problem here and "spotter" seems to be looking for science based information as am I.  Transmission of parasites and disease from meal worms in commercial feeds is avoided by the graneries through "best practices" because of the risks to the hens, then we grow and add mealworms deliberately for a protein source.  Wild and crazy contaminated meal worms :) are everywhere and could easily contaminate home mealworm colonies through multiple avenues.  I grow my colonies in wheat bran which could have been easily contaminated by "wild" meal worms while in storage.  


Actually poop IS the problem. It's the main method by which mealworms and their mature forms (darkling beetles) pick up the diseases and parasites that both of you were worried about. It's right in the extension article that you cited, along with appropriate annotation of scientific articles. I was a bit flippant about it because In conjunction with that article, I had already answered the question...but tone is difficult to convey via textually based communication.

Okay, but you asked for scientific knowledge, so here goes: the mealworm we raise to feed to our chickens is a different species than the one that has been studied for disease transmission capabilities (because it lives in poultry litter). The common mealworm (Tenebrio molitor/I]) vs. the lesser mealworm/litter beetle (Alphatobius diaperinus). They have done some really nice studies with A. diaperinus (and not T. molitor) because it is the species that has a reasonable opportunity to come into contact with the relevant viruses/bacteria/parasites of interest. If it had been as big of a concern with T. molitor, you can bet with the commercial farming of them for poultry consumption that someone would have coughed up the money for the studies.
 
I have found that buying them from local growers or ones that can show or prove what they are growing them helps take the worry out of it. I saw a YouTube video of a guy that built his own growing area out of a three level plastic organizer. He used organic oats and in one month had more mealworms that he could handle. Very interesting. Great help everyone thanks,
 
Thanks Mikejr05! We did buy the starter mealworms for our colony from a reputable local aquarium store. Once I quit searching google and started using google scholar my searches for Tenebria molitor brought up no concerns. I still have to wonder if colonies grown on bran from our feed store couldn't become contaminated from the omnipresent wild mealworms in stored grains. Thanks for the positive advice and I will switch to oatmeal from bran. We love feeding insects and keep a light on an antenna tripod to bring night fliers to our ducks. We live near a marsh and I'de like to think our ducks keep us from becoming overrun by mosquitos, although it would take a lot of mosquitos to fill up a Saxony duck:).
 
I agree with all the responses with regard to daisygirl's question. Growing your own mealworms is a great way to ensure that what you are feeding your chickens and pets is safe and doesn't have any unwanted parasites or other detrimental components. For those of you who do not wish to raise your own you may want to consider buying local USA grown mealworms. Problems with mealworms from overseas is actually what prompted me to start my own business. Below is an excerpt from our webpage. Please check Sunshine Acre Worm Farm out if you are interested in purchasing locally and responsibly grown mealworms.

We decided it would be fun to raise a few chicks but never anticipated how much we would grow to love our chicks as pets. A few months later we added a hedgehog to our pet menagerie. We discovered both of these very different pet types had something in common, they LOVED to eat fresh live mealworms. We ordered a large container of thousands of dried mealworms and was about halfway through it when we noticed some strange bugs in the container. Upon further research we discovered that our mealworms were from China. Since we eat the eggs from our chickens and are concerned about the overall health and well being of our pets, it made us uncomfortable to think that we were feeding them treats that had been shipped from a foreign country over 7000 miles away. We began searching for a more local alternative and, though they existed, most of the companies out there seemed to be trying to make a quick buck rather than focussing on responsibly raising mealworms to serve to customer's beloved pets. The idea was born and now we are proud to be selling mealworms that are grown here on our property, fed with local organic feed and managed by hand rather than machine. We have since added a few more pets to our collection and tested these tasty treats on all sorts of pets. They are tasty exotic pet snacks and are also great for reptiles. Soon we will also be selling super worms grown with the same standards.
 
@sunshineacre I believe there is a buying/selling part of the forum here where you can advertise....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/67/buy-sell-trade

and
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