Does anyone else raise insects for their birds?

[hollyclyff]

Junies are big enough that kids used to tie string around a leg and let the bugs fly around at the end of the string for fun. Back in the pre-cartoon network days

I was telling someone just last week that my mom did that when she was a kid! Their comment - "You might be a redneck...."​

 

[Bubba]

Can you send me pics? We don't have 2 green beetles here. Japanese Beetles here are huge at least the end of your thumb and buzz like a bumblebee almost. I used to tie string on them to haha. Guess the West Coast and East Coast have different nicknames for them. Thanks for sharing!

Bubba

 

[LynnGrigg]

Japanese beetles... I'm growing veggies and the pesky things love my beans. They have a habit of "falling" to fly when disturbed... take a jar with water and a little bit of olive or vegetable oil... hold it just under the chewing pest and just tap them. They will mostly just drop into the mix. The oil is probably good for the chickens and the stupid beetle can't fly. fill up the jar with til your heart's content and dump it out for your breakfast providing pets.

 

[wegotchickens]

I found a Junie in my carrots last night and proved that I don't have to cut them up for my peeps! Thing 1 jumped on it (like a duck on a joon bug - ever heard tha saying?). Then Misa the silke roo stole what was left. Was so fun to watch them bouncing and pouncing on the bug. Since their tractor has hardware cloth for walls, I can catch a bunch of Junies for my girls and let them fly all they want.

I'll go berry picking / Junie harvesting this weekend and send pics. I've only seen the one around my house but my friends with berries have a billion junies.

Bubba, your bugs sound like junies to me, not japanese beetles.
Here's a link to a pic: http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/junebeetle.html

And here's one for the japanese variety: http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef409.asp

 

[Bubba]

Hrm ok did some internet searching.
http://cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/ppd/Entomology/Coleoptera/Japanese_Beetle.html

If you scroll down what Californians call Japanese Beetles are really Green Fig Beetles and what we call June bugs are really Cyclocephala. Guess we don't have REAL June bugs, never seen a copper or green beetle with white on it.


http://www.uga.edu/vegetable/beetles.html
While on this site it seems the June beetles our the what we call June Bugs.
I guess we don't have REAL Japanese Beetles. They look very similar but they do not have copper wings and no white markings.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r261300511.html
That is what we call Japanese Beetles and its what I catch in droves to feed my birds. They are huge and I usually have to cut them up for chicks, the chickens tear them up just fine.

Sorry for those of you confused, we tend to think and do what we want in California

Bubba

PS Read the headline on this webpage sure to make you laugh!
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/NEWS/END-news.html
Some good reading for those of you that feed flys to your birds.

 

[maestro]

I've see a hen eat spaghetti like she was eating a worm. I hope I didn't mess with her head and disappoint her.

 

[4myHennyPenny]

I'm considering raising some mealworms to give my girls some extra protein treats over the winter. I've read about caring for them on a couple of sites, and I'm a bit confused.

One site said that they could be stored in the fridge (down to about 40 or 45), and they would become dormant. They did recommend taking them out once a week or so to allow them to warm up a have a little food.

The other sites simply mention keeping them in the plastic container (no lid for better air flow) on a bed of bran with a slice of apple or potato for moisture--no fridge. Now, obviously the worms will eventually pupate and become the beetle. How quickly does this occur? I'd love to give my girls these treats, but I have to admit that I'm freaked out about having beetles (and eventually more worms and pupae) running around my house.

So, is it feasible to just keep them in the fridge like the first site mentioned or will they not make it through the winter that way? If they're best kept out of the fridge, how do you keep up with the supply of worms and avoid being overrun by beetles?

BTW, I only have 5 girls to feed these lovely treats. Prefer to raise my own both to save on cost in long run and to keep my girls on organic feed (by feeding mealworms organic bran and apple).

 

[dlhunicorn]

put a portion in the fridge and a portion leave out to pupate and produce more mealworms.

 

[gardener]

Quote:
I have kept mealworms in a plastic container for years ,shoe box size, and the beetles cannot climb out.
I have never put them in the refrigerator. I have raised them for reptiles as a supplement to crickets. Since I got the birds I have ran out and need to replenish the mealworms.

I have not really piad that close attention to how long it takes to go from worm to beetle and to more worms agian. I would guess about a month before you notice new little mealworms if you started from new a batch of mealworms. To me it seems like a long process. The new hatched worms will be tiny too and they take time to grow. maybe a week or two. That is why I dont refrigerate them I dont need to slow the process down any.

 

[wegotchickens]

If you end up with a bunch of beetles, some of those can be fed to the peeps, too, right?