dried mealworms

[tsuninight]

So I got some chicken scratch treats for my birds that included meal worms when I got them. They loved them. The meal worms were their favorite. I just can't bring myself to do meal worm farming, it creeps me out just a little too much. That being said I decided to make my own chicken treats. It was significantly cheaper in the long haul, and I spoil my chickens a bit too much (and am happy to do so). I purchased 2lb of dried meal worms from eBay (sold for chickens), and I swear they don't like them. They will "eventually" get to them when they run out of literally everything else, but this really confuses me since in the chicken scratch I got they were the first things gone. My ladies love bugs, and remain the vicious strike team of feathered bug ninjas they've always been, but what gives with the silly worms? Is there a difference between meal worms or how they are processed? These were promoted as flash frozen the day they were mailed. The wild birds even seem to like to eat them last.

If I want to purchase the pre-murdered ones is there something I should look for in meal worms? Maybe i just picked the wrong ones? Any ideas?

I think the seller is good I'm just curious if there's something I should be looking for that may be different. (eBay id: survivalseedsowers). Well that or if they've simply decided that the real wild bugs are just that much better and are turning their beaks up at my offerings. I tend to not think this is the case since it was an immediate change after I gave them the new home made scratch. They eat everything else in it.

We're also growing barley, and man, oh man do they love that. No complaints on that front. WE also put it down for the cats so they can eat some of the grass. It's really helped with that puking problem one of them has.

 

[GuppyTJ]

Dried meal worms (bought from Tractor Supply) seem hit or miss with my chickens. When my chickens were young, they liked them but as they got older and started eating more "alive" foods like bugs and grass they free range for and scraps from the house (tomatoes, strawberries, corn kernels), they became less thrilled with the meal worms.

Then, I got a second batch of chicks who had never had any food other than chick feed. They again, took right to the dried meal worms. I'm almost out of the one jar I bought but my guess is once this new batch of chicks (they're now 9 weeks old) get used to free ranging and table scraps, they may also shun the dried meal worms. Maybe they're just not wholesome enough once they begin to eat fresh food?

Guppy

 

[Silvester]

My girls don't seem to go "ga ga" for them either...

I have the flock "free ranging" in a enclosed run ( maybe 25' x 25') where they get to rummage thru the grass and I spread scratch every so often. I would put the dried meal worms in with the feed and spread some on the ground, they didn't seem too impressed.

 

[centrarchid]

Sometimes the dried mealworms are not properly stored or maybe dried too long after they die. I have purchased two bags at a time, one was opened for a while before other. The freshly opened they liked while other they did not.