"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[Ron Skekel]

There are a few different ways you can do it.  Basically you just need a container/containers, something to feed them (dry and wet) and some worms to start out.

CONTAINER
I use a little Rubbermaid type of small tote.  Its small!  I need to start another one and separate the worms from the beetles.  They need to breath, but the adults can't fly.  Really any old container will work.  They don't care if its pretty.  Mine is drawer style, so we just pull it out and take it to the chickens and pick out what we want.

FEED
I use oatmeal and chick crumbles as the dry feed/bedding.  Some people use wheat germ.  But since I am allergic to wheat it is not a good idea for me.  Cheap store brand oats are good enough.  As far as the wet food.  They get their hydration from that.  The suggestions I have seen most often on Youtube videos are potato or apple slices.  But here in our humid climate they mold WAY too fast.  So I use carrots or slices of sweet potato.  I like baby carrots the best.  They keep well and the worms eat them until they are almost completely gone without having an issue with mold.

WORMS
I bought a TINY little container from Petsmart to start out.  It only had somewhere around 25 -50 worms in it. 

All you do is pour a good deep layer of bedding about 2 inches deep if possible and add your worms.  Then set a couple of pieces of their veggie on the surface.  Adding a small piece of something for them to hide under is appreciated by the beetles.  After awhile you will see an alien looking white-ish pupae.  Then after that they turn into the small Darkling Beetle.  Treatment of the adults is the same as the worms.  Some people separate the different phases of the life cycle to avoid newly hatched adults from being damaged by the others.  There are a ton of YT videos about it too.  I need to set up a couple of more bins because we just had a BUNCH of adults hatch. 

Time it takes in a week to tend to them???  Maybe about 5 minutes. 

Do they smell.  A little.  But adding more bedding will dry it out a bit and then its not bad.  Eventually though you can make a new bin and transfer what you want.  But then there might be a LOT of baby worms left in the soiled one.  So you just want to leave that out of the way and check back later.  Eventually they will either quit hatching out and growing, or you could just sprinkle that out in the chicken yard for them to be completely devoured by your chickens.

Watch YT videos to see if I missed any tips.

Thanks so much I'm going to give it a try they are too expensive to keep buying them. Pam

 

[LemonMeringue]

Your welcome Pam

Anyone care to show their ugliest chicken?? Lol. I have a real ugly girl right now! She was broody, then not. Thought about molting. Then not. Completely yellowed out on her old feathers! The worst is her neck. The side parts of the feathers have shredded off because they are SO old. So it's like a little stick. She finally had a bunch of wing feathers coming in and got done on the back of her neck....... But not the sides. She looks decrepit!! Poor dear.

I thought she might have parasites a couple of months back. But NADA! We treated her anyway. And she hasn't slowed down with popping out eggs either. Just wish she would hurry up and pop out some new neck feathers!

 

[catdaddyfro]

Not really sure what all they have there but will be finding out real soon.. I believe it is the 1st and 3rd weekend of every month.. I will find out some more info and get it to you though give me a day or so and Ill post it on here for you.

The auction is only seasonal I'm pretty sure he is closed till springtime of next year. not a l;ot of trading this time of the year esp poultry stock.

Jeff

 

[catdaddyfro]

ATTENTION TO ALL THE PRO'S OUTHERE: Is this a hen and rooster or 2 roosters?



The crown and waddle look like hen and rooster but Maude's tail is starting to look like Niles

both have tail sickles therefore they are males one is just more mature than the other

Jeff

 

[topdog24]

both have tail sickles therefore they are males one is just more mature than the other

Jeff

I agree with you on this, i had 5 of them and some matured early and some later, i thought i had a couple pullets because they were missing tail feathers, but then they started fighting one another and trying to munt hens, it was a constant free for all with all 5, they went to camp. and what a difference in the egg department, the hens were happier than a pig knee deep in crap. Now i only have this feller here srvicing about 44 hens and he gets the job done too. They just love him
.

 

[LindaB220]

Picked up my Marraduna Basque eggs from PO today. Setting this evening. They look in great shape. I used the foam insert and they only traveled about 6 hrs from tx. Probably by truck.

 

[LindaB220]

The auction is only seasonal I'm pretty sure he is closed till springtime of next year. not a l;ot of trading this time of the year esp poultry stock.

Jeff

Hey Jeff, how's it going. Nice to have you back. Did you ever get another Rooster? I still have plans in the spring if your are able for the GNH.

 

[Ron Skekel]

both have tail sickles therefore they are males one is just more mature than the other 

Jeff

Trust Jeff Everytime I've ever asked sex or breed He has always been right! One reason I've begged him to come back. Pam

 

[Ron Skekel]

Picked up my Marraduna Basque eggs from PO today.  Setting this evening.  They look in great shape.  I used the foam insert and they only traveled about 6 hrs from tx.    Probably by truck.      

Happy for you hope you have a great Hatch. Pam

 

[TerriLaChicks]

Picked up my Marraduna Basque eggs from PO today. Setting this evening. They look in great shape. I used the foam insert and they only traveled about 6 hrs from tx. Probably by truck.

That's great! sending positive hatching vibes. Who'd you get them from?