Mealworm farming

[WildHens]

Hi everyone. I am thinking about starting a mealworm farm but I'm wondering how beneficial they are to chickens and if I'm already feeding my girls whole corn and layer pellets is it possible to feed them too much protein or will they not eat them if they don't need the protein?

Corn should generally only be used as an occasional treat or to help maintain heat in the cold.
Any treat should only make up a very small percentage of diet, and if you're feeding commercial layer pellets, you're feeding a complete diet just in the pellets, everything else is 'snacks'..
That being said, I give mine access to fresh greens, flock blocks, weeds, bugs, etc in addition to layer or grower crumble all the time.. when I offer corn, I only offer cracked (believe they digest it better)..

But, nutrition aside, your birds will love you if you start a mealworm farm..lol.. there's nothing better than throwing a handful in with a hen and chicks, and seeing her teach them what they are, followed shortly by a game of mealworm football with the chicks. .
Or a rooster calling all the girls over for them...
Im sure they offer more nutrition wise than I know, but regardless you'll have a blast

 

[KernH]

Hi everyone. I am thinking about starting a mealworm farm but I'm wondering how beneficial they are to chickens and if I'm already feeding my girls whole corn and layer pellets is it possible to feed them too much protein or will they not eat them if they don't need the protein?

My wife calls mealworms "chicken cocaine". They will eat all you give them and no matter how much you give them, they want more. Nothing excites my chickens more than mealworms. Kern

 

[naresa]

I bought 2000 mealworms and I took all the white ones out and put in another container now I went back to them today and they all look like brown worms I thought the white ones turned to beetles next. Can anyone help

 

[kubotafoot]

Beetles lay eggs....
Eggs turn into larva
larva turn into worms. How long is your time frame for doing this, you don't say.

 

[kubotafoot]

Could the white worms you took out have been just whiter mealworms that then darkened?

 

[aart]

Beetles lay eggs....
Eggs turn into larva
larva turn into worms. How long is your time frame for doing this, you don't say.

Not quite......larvae are the 'worms'...the larvae pupate .....then emerge as beetles.

I bought 2000 mealworms and I took all the white ones out and put in another container now I went back to them today and they all look like brown worms I thought the white ones turned to beetles next. Can anyone help

Some pics would help....both larvae and pupae can be various colors.

 

[WildHens]

Ok...I started my farm a little different than most..I just used the meal worms left over from a fishing trip and another trip to Gomart to raid their bait fridge. . Anyways, that was about 3 weeks ago and I now have piled of these things, assuming they're the beetle pupae and next step is bettles..
But..my question is..how "still" are the pupae? I know I've heard of several people throwing them out, thinking they are dead and I've had several die off in the worm stage...but.. they seem like they all congragated under the cartons, changed form and are now still as rocks. How long from this stage until I should see beetles(if I'm going to)? I keep them in a warm room, never lower than 70°, usually closer to 80°

 

[Mini Meat]

I bought 2000 mealworms and I took all the white ones out and put in another container now I went back to them today and they all look like brown worms I thought the white ones turned to beetles next. Can anyone help

The white ones were probably worms that had just molted. Once their new skin hardened off they turn dark again. The pupa are easily recognized, they look like aliens. They don't look like worms and they don't look like beetles.

 

[WildHens]

This is a pupae? ?

 

[Jensownzoo]

This is a pupae? ?

Yep. They can flex their "tail" if they're disturbed, but that's about it until they emerge as beetles. The beetles will be very light colored at first, then darken and harden.