Mealworms and other treats

[Mikejr05]

Hi everyone just getting ready for new chicks next week. I know that after a couple of weeks I can give them treats, one question I have is this: Has anyone bought the mealworms from petsmart or other pet stores, or are you just buying them online? As always thank you for everyones help.

 

[LeiaLayers5]

I know a few people have already responded, but I will add my experience with mealworms with our girls. We initially tried live worms when we started buying mealworms thinking it would be more exciting for our girls and they would enjoy it more, but they were more pricey and had to be kept refrigerated and smelled if they died. We then tried the dried kind and really they did not act any differently. They were just as excited and anxious to eat them dried or alive. They started jumping up to try to get bag out of my hands if I did not give them to them fast enough. It was pretty funny to witness. We used them to get them wrangled back into their run when it was not evening. Now everytime we let them free range, whenever they want to go back to their run/coop, they all gather on the back porch of our house and wait until we bring out a treat before they go back. Its funny how patient and persistent they are in this routine. I have heard ducks also like them. I have yet to try that for ours yet. We try to vary what treats we give them to mix it up and keep them guessing. They like other treats, but nothing gets them quite as excited as the mealworms.

 

[CochinLover1]

Haha thank you! And, I have purchased the dried mealworms from my local TSC. My chickens weren't all that crazy with them. My adults and chicks both did not care for them. Then again, my adult birds are free range so they are used to the live bugs that they catch. I would recommend live.

 

[Jensownzoo]

I purchased live small mealwoms from Petsmart and the chicks LOVED them. I recently got a large order from Rainbow so I can raise my own since it seems like they will be a favorite treat. I also bought 1/4" crickets and those were a hit. Recently tried waxworms...one of the chicks jumped into my lap!

 

[ChickNanny13]

My chicks/chickens(past) loved the freeze dried mealworms; Amazon most reasonable for here in Hawaii; but lately this batch of chickens seem to be loosing interest. They grub the yard & get veggie scraps, possibly getting spoiled Love the freeze dried mealworms for training when they were young but then I tried live ones from the pet store. They went CRAZY!

So as I've done in the past, started a Mealworm Farm (learned from BYC) when I got these chicks (late Oct '15). Just the other day I noticed the tiny baby mealworms squirming about. Production has started, it will be another month or so before I can start feeding the MW to the chickens.

I've also read about FF on BYC, I love it! Little more work but no feed waste, poop firmer & less stinky plus a lot less, less water consumption due to the wet feed & they like it. The feed's 'broken down' some so they get more nutrients, I've read and love the 'benefits'!

 

[Jensownzoo]

We set up several mealworm colonies for our hens but then I read several articles online from .edu sites that say darkling beetles (meal worm adults) and mealworms carry many poultry diseases and parasites.  Anybody out there that can unscare me before I incinerate all our work and time getting the colony going?

http://articles.extension.org/pages/71090/darkling-beetle-control-on-organic-poultry-farms

This article refers to wild darkling beetles loose in poultry facilities, where they are exposed to these diseases and parasites via tunneling through and eating the litter/feces of the birds. Raising mealworms/beetles in farms on bedding and food that do not contain these diseases/parasites makes them safe.

 

[daisygirlfp]

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.

 

[CochinLover1]

Live or dried?

 

[Mikejr05]

@CochinLover1 It says dried. And your avatar picture is awesome.

 

[Mikejr05]

Thank you, this is good information.