Feeding Dried Mealworms?

[FayoumisFreak]

Hello! While rummaging through the pet section at a local grocery store, I discovered a bag of dried mealworms for sale. They seemed like a good supplement for my new baby chicks. I bought them and then realized they were too large to be eaten whole by the chicks. Luckily, they crumble easily, and I placed a few few crushed ones on a paper towel in the brooder. The chicks ate them readily. I was wondering if their 47% minimum protein content is too high to be fed to the chicks again. Will feeding these cause chicks to develop too much mass without proper bone structure? They were being sold specifically for poultry. Thank you for reading and/or responding!

 

[llombardo]

Meal worms are a favorite in moderation. Do you give them grit?

 

[FayoumisFreak]

Yes, I do offer grit. However, they don't seem to utilize it.

 

[llombardo]

They need that to digest treats or foods other then the feed.

You can try mixing the grit in the food itself or even give clumps of dirt. You will be amazed with what they do with dirt.

 

[FayoumisFreak]

I will! Thank you for the advice!

 

[PetesChicks]

My littles didn’t know what to do with mealworms when I first tried them. Within a couple days they were a favorite. Like @llombardo said, they will need to have grit to eat them. The first time I put grit in my brooder, they went crazy fighting for a spot at the grit bowl.

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

Yes, I do offer grit. However, they don't seem to utilize it.

Someone suggested I use parrot grit from Walmart. it is smaller than regular grit. It worked great.

 

[ChickLOVESChicks]

Something I tried when my rabbit colony provided a healthy worm-rich environment, was to put a clump of dirt with worms inside on the ground and let them discover what was in there and eat the worms AND the dirt/grit... They might be too small for some worms, but there are many small ones too. If anything try when they get a bit bigger... It is a fun activity as well that keeps them entertained…