Maggots!!!!

[einhard]

I don't know if I would have done it before starting feeding the flock mealworms, but I've found it's a short bridge from mealworms to "spikes."

Our neighbor's pond turned last week and a couple hundred fish were belly-up. Vultures for days around here! A couple of days ago, I found half of a fish full of spikes in the other half of the chicken coop where we store our grain...apparently some critter grabbed a snack and tried to eat it in the barn (bypassing the electric fence...hoping it was a bird). Anyway, I scooped up the spikey dirt around the fish and the chickens went to town!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

It may be gross but I throw old brooder bags out at the bottom of my water ditch near my barn. I used to roll the bags over for the chickens after each rain but now they go and roll them over themselves to find huge maggots crawling in there. I load up the bags and take them to the dump when there gets to be too many and it starts really smelling bad but then start over again, much to the chickens pleasure.

 

[moetrout]

Circle of life!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

wood&feathers :

Maggots growing on a clean source = great treats. Just be careful to check for signs of mold in the feed. When in doubt, throw it out.

Good point,
Maggots good - moldy feed bad.
I had to return 6 bags of feed to TS that had gotten wet. Looked good on the outside but moldy inside. Luckily I had opened one right when I got home or they would have thought I let it get wet.

I knew someone in florida who thought they lost their whole flock to Cocci, but it turned out to be botulism.​