just started farming meal worms

[Bird Collector]

I looked on Graigs list and this same person I went to posted on the local chicken meet-up group. There most likely is someone local so you don't have to pay shipping...I hate to pay shipping. I also had the same experience with Petsmart. Each bin was short about 5 to 10 worms.

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[HorizonSon]

CUR(S)E this high humidity!

I went from three, down to one colony, after a major mold issue... NOW; I discovered my one surviving colony has mites!

Aaarrrrrrgh!


<sigh>

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

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what are you feeding/bedding them with???

 

[HorizonSon]

Mostly wheat bran and smashed oat berries... There's a sprinkle of organic chick/grower feed in there, too. I use carrots and celery for moisture, cradled in egg cartons. The bedding is quite dry, this go around... I may have to start from scratch... Good Lord, I hope not

 

[Royd]

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I have a worm factory, keeps them all in that tiny bin! ordered 2,000 and a week and there was many baby worms, BLAAA

!

How many do you need to allow to grow to adults, in order to be self sustaining? Also, wouldn't the cost of the feed offset the advantage of growing them, unless you were doing it, commercially?

 

[cabincrazyone]

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X2

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

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I have a worm factory, keeps them all in that tiny bin! ordered 2,000 and a week and there was many baby worms, BLAAA

!

How many do you need to allow to grow to adults, in order to be self sustaining? Also, wouldn't the cost of the feed offset the advantage of growing them, unless you were doing it, commercially?

they say that each female will lay 200 +/- eggs so assuming 50% are female... 20 Beatles would give you 2000... i would probably double this just to be on the safe side tho... it just depends on how big you want to get...

 

[HorizonSon]

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X2

A couple/few dollars worth in bedding, food and supplies. It's even less if you grow/farm a vegetable garden... Even the most prudent, throw away more food in a month than a whole closet full of mealworms would eat in as much time

 

[Royd]

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X2

A couple/few dollars worth in bedding, food and supplies. It's even less if you grow/farm a vegetable garden... Even the most prudent, throw away more food in a month than a whole closet full of mealworms would eat in as much time

Wikipedia said that the reason they are called mealworms, is because they destroy grain crops....You are saying that they eat any vegetation, right?

I know Soldier Fly larvae thrive in a compost pile.

 

[Royd]

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How many do you need to allow to grow to adults, in order to be self sustaining? Also, wouldn't the cost of the feed offset the advantage of growing them, unless you were doing it, commercially?

they say that each female will lay 200 +/- eggs so assuming 50% are female... 20 Beatles would give you 2000... i would probably double this just to be on the safe side tho... it just depends on how big you want to get...

Ok. Let's say I want to feed my chickens 1lb. of mealworms, a day, how many adults would I need to sustain that operation?