Lets talk Mealworms

[City Farmer Jim]

What do y'all do for mealworm treats ? Once you get back up off the floor from laughing at ME for spending $30 for 5 lbs of Mealworm,beetles and fly mix as treats for our 10 bird flock. Our soon to be hen pullets was introduced to mealworm treats when they were just out of the brooder and we dismissed it as " there's a whole big run of stuff to snack on" we don't want mealworms now. So the second flock of 5 comes along and smart adults we are gave the smart bag of mealworms to the chicks they ate them right up. Here's the scenario now we give them the "bug medley( mealworms, beetles and flies....guess what's left....MEALWORMS. I need to go read the package but the first "worms" we purchased were I think army fly larva not a/the true "mealworm" but I'm hoping that the awesome people here can help with "Mealworm" treat question. It was very odd our second flock will eat ANYTHING you give them....apparently except mealworms.

 

[JadeFarms]

My chickens LOVE mealworms but they will not eat the ones in the bag because they are dry, I’ve seen the skins that mealworms she’s in there and dead mealworms. They don’t eat them because they are dead, dry and have no flavor. And my chickens will try to kill me to get live mealworms but walk away from the dry ones.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

My chickens LOVE mealworms but they will not eat the ones in the bag because they are dry, I’ve seen the skins that mealworms she’s in there and dead mealworms. They don’t eat them because they are dead, dry and have no flavor. And my chickens will try to kill me to get live mealworms but walk away from the dry ones.

Mine have only had access to the dry ones in the bags at TSC so those are the only ones they do try to kill me for.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

What do y'all do for mealworm treats ? Once you get back up off the floor from laughing at ME for spending $30 for 5 lbs of Mealworm,beetles and fly mix as treats for our 10 bird flock. Our soon to be hen pullets was introduced to mealworm treats when they were just out of the brooder and we dismissed it as " there's a whole big run of stuff to snack on" we don't want mealworms now. So the second flock of 5 comes along and smart adults we are gave the smart bag of mealworms to the chicks they ate them right up. Here's the scenario now we give them the "bug medley( mealworms, beetles and flies....guess what's left....MEALWORMS. I need to go read the package but the first "worms" we purchased were I think army fly larva not a/the true "mealworm" but I'm hoping that the awesome people here can help with "Mealworm" treat question. It was very odd our second flock will eat ANYTHING you give them....apparently except mealworms.

My flock of nine has always been given a variety of green veggies as treats but really it is better said I guess as part of their diet and the meal worms as occasional treats because I don’t give them to the girls daily since a good BYC friend clued me in on here to the fact that if they were given to them to regularly that they might want to eat them instead of their daily ration of grain. I haven’t had that problem as long as I keep them every other day and down to a table spoon and 1/2 a piece for each girl. Also they love their carrot tops, fresh cut grass from our quality clipping from our front yard grass, and lettuce greens I give them cold in this heat, some cold sweet peas, and cucumbers, and herbs out of our garden. They also were tried on a few green apples for the first time the other day with the seeds and peels removed. These are not unripe green but Granny Smith style apples or similar variety. I am aware of the arsenic issue with apples and all that and do not feel that a few apples without the seeds and peels are going to hurt them on a very infrequent basis.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

Apparently we have persnickity girls.. we did the hanging cabbage thing We got the "you want us to eat WHAT" stare and walk right by it. Our opinion is the girls give us eggs regularly so we try to treat them somewhat regularly...we for the most part stick to 2 table spoons or less of any treat except RAISINS lol they LOVED raisins. A somewhat regular hot weather cold ❄ treat is cottage cheese, raisins and scratch mix. The love it. Frozen corn in a block is a good one also for our ladies lol

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

I’ve given my girls those dried mealworms but they are expensive and they look like hollow shells. Are dried mealworms really nutritious? I’m skeptical.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Everyone seems to debate over the dry mealworms as to their nutritional value. I don’t think that their fat content is as high nor their kidney values as rapidly a threatening a factor for them as such when given in the particular state of breakdown or freeze driedness in which the mealworms are sold at in stores.

 

[centrarchid]

I use live meal worms. They are not regarded as a treat in the nutritional sense. They are an extremely high quality nutrient source that happens to be rather pricey. The are a very effective enticement that can be used to motivate behaviors making my day easier.
.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Those dried mealworms are expensive and I am not laughing at all that you spent that for your girls. I get it! I keep on hand too though they are not a favorite. Never heard of the mix beatles!??? My girls run me down, forward then reverse, for papaya (I cut skins into 1/4"cubes), craisens, tomato and anything pasta though they R A R E L Y get pasta.... poor things. As to the ridiculous things we do to please our girls for those hopeful 3-5 eggs per week... just ask my DH and neighbors. I go on bug hunts... lizard hunts... kinda nothing I would not do for my pals. We can play for hours digging in the garden or overturning rocks. All in good fun!!!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I only use soldier larvae grown in the USA, never used mealworms. My girls love them & get a tablespoon or so between 9 chickens with their 3/4 scratch almost daily. They are penned, so it's their main source of animal protein.