How to grow your own mealworms instructions

[stilwellchick]

If my hen house was farther from my house I would do it! My friends and neighbors already think I am strange for having chickens. People think they are "dirty" and have no personality etc. I regard these people as unenlightened and I am sorry they don't get opportunity to care for these funny little critters.....of course these same people are always asking for eggs. Most people don't know or care where their food comes from. BTW, I don't tell that I am growing mealworms, most people just couldn't handle that!

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Well, I ordered some mealworms from natures way and am starting my own little worm factory. They're in a rubbermaid container feasting on quaker oats and baby carrots right now. I picked up the worms this morning and they're alive despite sitting in the post office all night. The worms locally were really expensive! So ordering them was the best bet and since I'm gonna grow them it should be a one time expense.

 

[LisaJean]

Future Chicken Man, can you give a link to the site where you got the mealworms? I went to naturesway dot com, and it seems to be a vitamin store.

EDIT: Disregard, FCM, I found it!

http://www.thenaturesway.com/

 

[Chickaroo!]

Thank you sooo much for the info! I was wondering how to do that! I'm definately going to give it a try.

 

[MBLayfield]

Thanks so much for posting this! Ironically enough I was looking for instructions to do this today!

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Yeah, all of this was discussed in a prior post.. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=29379

 

[LisaJean]

OK, a few days ago I placed an order for 5,000 mealworms from an online live-food supply shop. Half of them are for the chickens, and half are going to be used to breed my own colony of mealworms, in the hopes that I will have my own lasting supply of live food for the girls.

For those unfamiliar with worms, mealworms are smallish, golden-brown worms that resemble millipedes with fewer legs. They aren't slimy or gross, really. They are the larval form of mealbugs, which are small black beetles. Mealworms are probably THE most popular live-food in the USA.

So I got the little peach-colored card in my mailbox that says (paraphrased) "Yo, we got a package for you, but your MFing mailbox is too small for it!" So I take tke card to my local PO to pick up the box, which I know is my worms.

So I get there, and the nice lady goes into the back room to get the package, and I hear a shriek. You know, when you really HAVE to scream, but you cut it off because you don't want to make a scene? Well it was that sound. Followed by "JOEY!"

A man rushed past me and into the back room. After a moment, he came back out, gingerly holding a box, way out in front of him, looking suspiciously from me to the box. Right behind him, a hand pressed to her mouth, was the lady.

I laughed. "Oh, can you hear them moving around?" I asked.

They both looked at me, and Joey smiled and nodded. The lady laughed nervously, and said "I picked the box up and it started VIBRATIN' and hissin' at me!"

I laughed again. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you. It's a box of live mealworms, for my chickens. The hissing was just the sound of them crawling on the paper that they are shipped with."

The lady looked at me. "You're the one who picked up the box of chicks a few months ago, aren't you?"

"Yeah!" I said. Then I recognized her as the lady who retrieved the "peeping package" for me back in November.

"They gonna eat these things?" She asked, pointing at the box, wich Joey had placed on the counter in front of me.

"I hope so," I replied. "Otherwise I'll have to eat them myself."

I did not think a Black woman could go pale, but she did.

"I'm KIDDING!" I said quickly.

 

[jenq11`]

New to this group so I'm not sure if you'll get this post. I see that your post is old. I am looking to feed worms to chickens and am wondering about quantities.... Is there some sort of formula for how much to feed per bird and how long it takes to grow and maintain the amount you need? I would also like to feed them to my broilers. Any advice is welcome!

Thanks
Jen Strafford, NH

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

jenq11` :

New to this group so I'm not sure if you'll get this post. I see that your post is old. I am looking to feed worms to chickens and am wondering about quantities.... Is there some sort of formula for how much to feed per bird and how long it takes to grow and maintain the amount you need? I would also like to feed them to my broilers. Any advice is welcome!

Thanks
Jen Strafford, NH

I'm not sure if there is a magic number to aim for. Mostly mealworms should be treated as treats for your birds. I personally am aiming for high numbers but I'm looking toward resale. If you plan to use them for your birds alone I would say keep enough for sorta a "once a week" or "every few other days" kind of thing. Raise enough to keep them breeding and at the same time to treat your birds. Also add worms from other companies to infuse some fresh blood from time to time to avoid over inbreding them.​

 

[grateful]

Does any one have the ifo on hoe long the life cycle is on these little guys? Once you have the starter generation ho long does it take to replenish you stock?
Travis
Bozeman, Mt