Black soldier Fly Larvae or Mealworm

[Grace_10]

Hello everyone, just want to ask which among the two is the best treat for my chicken? I am just new in raising chicken, so I do not have much idea especially when it comes to their treats.

 

[mj1025]

As a backyard chicken raiser, I can recommend the Black soldier fly as your choice. I’ve been using it for quite a while, and it helps my girls, and they love it. They have become a daily staple in their diet. They are laying more eggs from the extra protein, even during Winter, and going through their molting quicker and easier with the added protein and calcium in the grubs. If you want to know the brands for these grubs, I highly recommend GrubTerra treats for your chickens and other pets! They are some of the cheapest and most hardy grubs for your chickens! Before discovering this, I bought air-filled mealworms from a big box store for the same price. You are getting great value for your money and helping keep landfills from filling with food waste. It’s a win-win!

 

[Shadrach]

Here's a link to the nutritional value of Black Soldier Fly.
https://kimmyfarm.com/en/nutritional-value-of-black-soldier-fly-larvae
It seems a fair average from the others I've read. Note the 35% Fat.

This is an average fat content taken from a commercial feed. 3.6%

Roughly the BSF give 10 times the amount of fat the feed experts have worked out a chicken needs in their diet!
I'll let you search for information on meal worms.
For dried meal worms the numbers are even worse with some brands.

I can't say how carefull you may be in measuring the quantities of meal worms or black soldier fly you may give to your chickens. Maybe you'll try for the much publicised 10% treat rule. Would 10% be by Volume, or by weight. Every day or just some days. Do you know how much your chickens eat each day so you can calculate what 10% is?
I think most people just chuck a handfull on the ground.

If your chickens free range then they'll get some excercise and burn some of that fat. If your chickens are confined then burning off fat is rather more difficult.

Yes, your chickens will probably love either option much like we like sticky buns and chocolate. Unfortunately what we like is often not what's good for us.

I won't feed chickens either of the options. I would rather feed cooked white fish or similar, or better still let them forage for their own treats.
https://kimmyfarm.com/en/nutritional-value-of-black-soldier-fly-larvae

Here's an inofrmative old post on bug nutrition.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...worms-red-wrigglers-compost-worms-etc.837491/

Notice that live bugs that are likely to be found foraging have a much much lower fat content.

 

[DanDi27]

Mealworm is our go-to protein source for our chicken because it has high protein content. It was also the best-selling insect feed on the market years ago. But now we shift to BSFL. We found out that this insect has similar nutrients to mealworm but with the calcium content. We need calcium because it helps our flock strengthen immunity and develop strong eggshells. And it costs us not much because we do not need to buy other products just to sustain the required calcium for our girls. So instead of buying another feed for them, I simply buy grubs, and it's convenient for me because the pet store that sells grubs is just a walking distance from our home. And if it is not available, I go shopping online via Amazon or Shopify. It's free delivery and guarantees quality.

 

[Niks19]

Black soldier fly is the favorite snack of my girls. I let them free range in our yard, and anytime I need them to come back, I shake the bag, and they come running. The nutritional value of this grub is incredible, especially for good healthy eggs and shells. I’ve already seen a difference in my chicken's eggs, they are thicker, and my girls look great. During the warmer months, I used these grubs as their treats and used this as a supplement mixed with their feed during the winter months.