Can you Domesticate Mealworms?

[Kale Chips]

Silly questions, but I found a few mealworms (correct me if I'm wrong) in some spilled feed, and was wondering if I can cultivate them. If I give them wheat bran and a warm place to live will they multiply and become something I can regularly give my chickens? Is it safe to randomly find worms and assume they are chicken-friendly?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I don't see why not. People raise storebought ones into colonies, I don't think there's a difference. It might take a bit though with that few

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

They will probably do better than the ones bought at the store.

 

[RiverOtter]

Go for it. Reptile people regularly keep colonies. The turn into darkling beetles.
https://mealwormcare.org/life-cycle/

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

Go for it. Reptile people regularly keep colonies. The turn into darkling beetles.
https://mealwormcare.org/life-cycle/

We keep them for our leapard geckos.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

Silly questions, but I found a few mealworms (correct me if I'm wrong) in some spilled feed, and was wondering if I can cultivate them. If I give them wheat bran and a warm place to live will they multiply and become something I can regularly give my chickens? Is it safe to randomly find worms and assume they are chicken-friendly?

View attachment 2239045

You got free mealworms! Congratulations! Now you just need to start a colony and your birds will adore you!

 

[Ashlie2001]

Yes you can! We used to raise mealworms for our birds a while ago. Then once they become dark long beetles they will breed. In fact, we’ve found mealworms in our coops (one is small) that are attached and the main coop was a barn for our goats (before we got chickens). I think the mealworms that we found are descended from the ones our birds didn’t get.

 

[Cee0329]

I raised meal worms for years for my bluebird trail. It is easy to do, I suggest getting a 3 small drawer plastic Walmart storage bin. I used one bin for the worms, sifted out the larva 2nd bin and third is for the beetles. I also fed instant oatmeal. Wheat molds to badly. I also had parrots and didn't want to chance it. There are tons of You tube videos with instructions.