Canned Lizard Food vs Canned Cat Food

[jkcove08]

I would like to do it but my hubby and sons would use all the worms fishing..lol They wouldnt last at all. Jenn

 

[Shrader]

Airheart--

This doesn't answer your cat food/ lizard food question, but I buy my mealworms in bulk from Rainbow Mealworms. 5000 for about $20, they come in the mail and last almost 2 weeks of daily feedings for my 9 hungry chickens.

https://www.rainbowmealworms.net/home.asp

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I did the vermicomposting (worm farming!) thing for awhile too but I ended up feeding all of them to my greedy chickens! Guess they couldn't multiply as fast as they were getting eatin! Now I just stop at the bait shop once a week on the way home from work and buy worms and crickets, much easier!

 

[dlhunicorn]

key here is balance...
...too much of a good thing ... is a bad thing.

 

[SandraChick]

well said dianna ... well said.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Shrader - Thank you for the link on mealworms. i'm paying $7.99 for 500, so direct from Rainbow a much better deal.

dlhunicorn - i realize you are right. It's so hard not handing out treats every time i head to the pen, with all those cute little faces looking up at me. i'm trying to make the treats an occasional thing. Doing the mealworms and crickets no more than once a week. i am giving them yogurt with live cultures every other morning (is that too much?). i have given them some cheese a couple times, but then read you do not recommend uncultured milk products, so should i stop this? i try to give them either some greens or fruits every day. This is all a learning process for me. Trying to be the best chicken mom i can be.

 

[dlhunicorn]

well, in the winter (or other appropriate times) I will give them daily when possible ...just a couple to each bird if doing for treats or get them to hop up onto my lap (though I am sure they would jump thru hoops for their mealies!!!)
I know how hard it is not to smother them with "goodies" , but what I do instead (and they are just as tickled actually) is "change" their feed (and freshen it up) by putting it in a different container and then placing that in a different place ... adding cooked oatmeal to it or top dressing it with the CeDe softbill food (they go nuts for this though I see it is not as cheap or as easily available in the USA as here) adding wheatgermoil through it or some sunflowerhearts and such that I have ground up a bit.... it satisfies my need to "do something special" for them and they truly do cluck and fuss as if I have given them candy when I do this . I reserve "treats" (such as mealies) for that extra attention and keeping them hand tame.
I offer live culture yogurt daily free choice in a separate bowl from day one of hatch. (one of the reasons I am careful not to give too many mealworms>yogurt is also a source of "protein")

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

dlhunicorn - Thank you so much for the suggestions. i have been looking online for the cede softbill food, but can not find it. Do you have a link so i can see what it is? You must be up in Canada?

 

[dlhunicorn]

...actually I am in Holland (American met (ex) Dutch hubby in USA)... I did find where it is available ... just google or yahoo "CeDe and Softbill" ...here is one but it is not the cheapest:
http://www.birdsupplynh.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=15&products_id=653

....I suppose at that price you could buy it and keep in say your emergency kit along with a package of baby parrot handfeeding formula...
I use the CeDe for any ill birds not wanting to eat...they go crazy for it....
(however here I pay 6.50 for two kilograms>4.5 lbs.)

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Thank you for the link. It helps to see the package and ingredients. The only one i was able to find online had a picture of a tiny naked parrot eating from a syringe. Looking forward to getting this new treat for my kids!