Got my meal worms ready to make my farm--questions

[Rozzie]

Quote:
I think the idea is that they are pretty cheap as far as protein goes, once you buy your "starter" worms.

You just toss them in a bin of wheat bran or oatbran, or something comprable, and add a bit of "waste" food that has moisture -- apple cores or carrot pieces, for example, and let them go. They'll do the rest for you. Other than the cost of a bit of bran or other bedding, there doesn't have to be any cost beyond a small initial purchase of worms. A person could start this project with a $5 investment, if they wanted to do so, by using a container they already have at home. It actually seems much easier than dealing with earthworms, for example.

I have turtles...so I think I may try this for fun. The coturnix sure go mad over black soldier fly larvae (I don't raise them but have been known to pick out a few dozen from the compost heap.) If you think mealworms are icky, try black soldier fly larvae. I will admit that I about whigged out the day I went out and had my entire compost heap MOVING / WRITHING with the things. Then, I promptly ran to the computer to figure out WHAT the heck was going on, since I didn't have a lot of flies buzzing around out there.

I'm still passing on the cookies. I know it's cultural bias, but still...

(Ahem, and my personal bias would make it a lot easier for me to eat the mealworms than my little quail.

)

 

[Terri O]

joe125 wrote:

I may go to petco in the future, but no meal worms for me or my birds. Way to expensive protein! Plus, it's just to "icky" for me! smile


But this is what birds LIKE!!! My chickens love to go and pick thru horse poo for seeds and bugs.....and just let a duck come upon a maggot covered carcass! (dont ask) They go wild and call all their friends over to have a snack!

Talk about GROSS!
Birds do love their bugs though...and if you can raise them some live protein for their enjoyment (and your own) why not? I am off to pick up some worms tomorrow! I actually found some under some boards in my barn--fed them all up before I got to this thread.
I did raise them for turtles many, many years ago....I used cornmeal at that time--and they stunk! I hope oatmeal is better! I had them in a metal box with a hinged lid...and they did escape! I am going to do better this time!
Terri O

 

[featherbaby]

Quote:
Hi All,
I'd like to see a picture of a 3 tray setup as well.
Are the tiny tiny hatches easy to see? I wonder if they are small enough to feed to my betta Splendens?

Joe

Yes, the tiny ones are perfect for Bettas. About the size of a freeze dried bloodworm is just right. You will have all sizes to choose from. Just wash them in lukewarm water before feeding. The wheat bran stuck to a worm would cloud the water and possibly contaminate the tank. I use a fine mesh strainer.

 

[feathersnuggles]

I have eaten a mealworm. It was alive, too. Took me a long time to get up the courage, but when I finally did it, I felt silly for waiting so long. It tasted sort of bland, not bad at all. I could definitely do it again. Only weird thing was the wriggling part, before I ate it. I've even had some adventurous guests (from Australia) who ate some of my live mealworms, too. They seemed completely unfazed by this sort of thing and they thought it was cool. Mealworms and other land insects are a common food in many asian countries.

That said, I would ONLY eat the mealworms that I raise (not the ones directly from petco) -- so I know exactly what they have been eating and living in, since they hatched. Next, I think I'll fry them up and serve to DH and others who refuse to eat them live.

 

[joe125]

Quote:
I think the idea is that they are pretty cheap as far as protein goes, once you buy your "starter" worms.

You just toss them in a bin of wheat bran or oatbran, or something comprable, and add a bit of "waste" food that has moisture -- apple cores or carrot pieces, for example, and let them go. They'll do the rest for you. Other than the cost of a bit of bran or other bedding, there doesn't have to be any cost beyond a small initial purchase of worms. A person could start this project with a $5 investment, if they wanted to do so, by using a container they already have at home. It actually seems much easier than dealing with earthworms, for example.

I have turtles...so I think I may try this for fun. The coturnix sure go mad over black soldier fly larvae (I don't raise them but have been known to pick out a few dozen from the compost heap.) If you think mealworms are icky, try black soldier fly larvae. I will admit that I about whigged out the day I went out and had my entire compost heap MOVING / WRITHING with the things. Then, I promptly ran to the computer to figure out WHAT the heck was going on, since I didn't have a lot of flies buzzing around out there.

I'm still passing on the cookies. I know it's cultural bias, but still...

(Ahem, and my personal bias would make it a lot easier for me to eat the mealworms than my little quail.

)

Well, black soldier fly larvae, are house fly killers. They are the reason that I had no (House/Blow) fly epidermic, the past 3 years. I love the little poop movers! I give them a very wide birth, and they are good fish bait as well.

I don't mean to insult your sensibilities, but a 6 oz. coturnix beats 6 oz. of bean curd, as far as protein absorption by humans (Omnivores). You can eat meal worms if you like.
If you don't eat your own birds, that's fine with me.It breaks my heart, when I kill any of my birds, but it must be done, and I can't send JR. out to do the dirty work...There is no Joe JR.
I have about 200 birds, and if I were not the softy that I am, there would only be about 50, the rest would be in the freezer. If I didn't cull some, then it would be about 1000. It's all a matter of what one wants and is willing to take.

 

[Rozzie]

You didn't bother my sensibilities. I'm a realist. People eat meat. I'm not here chastising anyone for it. The quail board is the last place I'd hang out if I were going to get upset about references to slaughter. I've yet to go off on anyone over such things at BYC (I think...) and don't make it a regular practice elsewhere. I'm more of a practice by example type in this area than a rant in your face type -- though I certainly don't hide or hush up the fact that I'm a vegetarian.

I'm sure we're all here cause we all have quail & want them to be healthy & we kind of like hanging out with people that enjoy the same obsessions.

(Admittedly, there are a few threads, though, that I skip over, or only skim very briefly...)

My 16 yr old son didn't take to the idea of mealworm cookies too well.

He suggested he'd stick with eggs & TVP...

 

[knjinnm]

Quote:
As I recall they are high in carbs so when fed to large South American Cichlids it was on a limited basis. I doubt if you would want to feed more than 1/4 of a cup to each bird per day

 

[knjinnm]

If you want high protein try raising red wiggler worms. We keep two 30 gallon rubber-maid bins in the garage, one inside the other with holes in the first for drainage, the red wigglers consume all of our kitchen food waste except meat scraps. It is teaming with worms.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Meal worms pupate, grow into bugs shiny black beetles , then have sex, lay eggs that turn into larva (Meal worms), that pupate and the whole cycle starts over again. Can anyone give me the protein content of a meal worm...living or dead? I really need this figure if I'm to determine if meal worms are a good source of protein or not. I'm thinking not, but extra data would be helpful!

What does it matter? You said you don't want to raise them, then don't. They are just something extra to give your birds for fun.

Or you can raise them and sell some off to local fisherman.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
One answer, as found in an article published just last year (2009) in the American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences seems to be:
24.3-27.6% if wet, or 63.31-68.87% if dry

This particular study was exploring the possibility of mealworms as a source of protein for people, and includes an amino acid breakdown for the common yellow mealworm, if you are interested in details on the quality of the protein. It also includes, for the sake of comparison, a chart showing the protein quantity in other common foods -- and in a variety of other insects, such as the pupae of the house fly.

And, for those among you who are raising mealworms and have an adventurous streak in your body, they have provided some possible sample recipes at the end, including one for Mealworm appetizers and one for Mealworm cookies. They suggest freezing the mealworms to kill them prior to preparation as human food.

Yes. I have saved the article into my ever growing collection of oddities on my computer. I see a trip to Petco in my very near future, though I will abstain from making mealworm cookies, at least for now. (Though a vegetarian, if someone ELSE dried and ground these up to a powder, I could eat them...I think. I'd have to get past my cultural bias against eating insects, but once I did that, I would have less objection to consuming this as a form of protein.)

http://www.scipub.org/fulltext/AJAB/AJAB44319-331.pdf

Thanks Rozzie! Not the exact data I was looking for, but spot on as far as the question I asked

I really need to refine my questions.

So a living, breathing meal worm may contain 24-27.6% protein. Once you reduce the weight by removing (Around 75%) of the water, then you go up to 68.87% per...what ever. This is where things get tricky, and why people want to eat, or feed their birds...bugs!

If you take a single meal worn, that weighs...(Conservatively 1/2 gram), then the protein level would be around 24% per 1/2 G. If that is the true live/wet weight of a meal worm, then I would consider it (High protein). Once you decrees the bulk (Water) then the level goes up by weight, but I'm still thinking.....It's going to take a butt load of meal worms to make 1 pound of 30% protein game bird starter.

I may go to petco in the future, but no meal worms for me or my birds. Way to expensive protein! Plus, it's just to "icky" for me!

How is raising mealworms expensive? I give mine the apple cores from the apples my kid eats, and once a month or so I might give them a potato if I notice them looking anxious (the bugs). All you need is some kind of plastic or glass container, some of your beloved GBS, and some apple cores or potato peels and you're in business. Heck, you can even 'feed' them leftover (stale) bread, just moisten it a bit. My bugs love that.