Live treats for chickens.

[Chicken101-07]

As winter is coming,the cold temperatures kills all the critters that chickens love so much,I decided to go to the pet store and get them some treats,I bought a 50 count live superworm container for 5 dollars.they went crazy for them,all of them got at least 2 worms,I was thinking of getting more for the winter as the winters where I live are a little long,but have read articles that say superworms have some protein on them and fed a lot to chickens,they can cause blockages on their stomachs or something like that,what is considered a treat and how often do you give them to your chickens?

 

[AviansLove]

I give mine crickets and mealworms, though they eat theirs dead.

 

[FortCluck]

Crickets, mealworms, soldierworms, Japanese beetles, and hornworms are all favorites for my flock.

 

[mdquilts]

Live crickets are a lot of fun for them to catch

 

[chickens really]

Balanced feeds contain enough nutrients that they don't require live bugs. Always think that some bugs contain internal parasites that can transfer to the birds too.

 

[Ted_Harrell]

My brother in law suggested I buy a tube of crickets, just for the sheer entertainment value alone!

 

[featheredplanets]

Live feeder insects sold at pet stores are very safe. They are usually sold for reptiles but other pets enjoy them too! It is best to go easy when treating chickens. A couple of meal worms a week is more than enough, so that’d be no more than 3 Morio/Super worms a week each. This pretty much applies to all feeder insects. It’d be best to switch it up with different meal worms, crickets, locusts and other grubs sold in pet stores.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You'll do much better pricewise buying crickets and mealworms in bulk online. There are dozens of companies selling them by the thousands or even hundreds of thousands at a fraction of the cost of buying from a pet store. Even places like PetCo and Pet Smart have online stores where they sell in bulk.
While I agree that many small invertebrates do often harbor parasitic worms, that is only true of wild things that are found in chicken foraging areas. The worms, beetles, crickets, ants, grasshoppers, etc. will consume the worm eggs excreted by the chickens making them intermediate hosts. The same is not true of farm raised crickets and mealworms. There are no worm eggs in the substrate used to feed and foster them.
I also agree that chickens fed primarily a fresh complete chicken feed formulated for their age don't really need extra treats to be healthy.

 

[casportpony]

Mine go nuts for live superworms and crickets!
This place sells them at a decent price:
https://www.rainbowmealworms.net/

 

[FortCluck]

Mine go nuts for live superworms and crickets!
This place sells them at a decent price:
https://www.rainbowmealworms.net/

Thanks for sharing I'll put it on my list!