Meal worms healthy?

[Prareedawn]

We got some small meal worms to see if the chicks would like them. They are about 7 weeks now. OMG they went nuts. They were small enough that they could easily and quickly swallow them. Just thoguht id check and make sure they were safe and healthy?

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

Yes meal worms are fine for chickens. They sell freeze dried ones for treats in Tractor Supply, although it's cheaper to buy live ones from a pet store. Chickens are omnivores, they love insects, frogs, snakes, and mice if they can catch them.

 

[terryg]

Meal worms are about 50% protein. A chick's diet should be about 18%. Your chicks can get kidney failure from consuming too many meal worms. It's much better to give the chicks access to a varied environment where they can find greens and bugs on their own. Also feeding high protein (or high fat foods) as treats, when the animals don't have to be active or search for it is actually doing your animals a disservice. Even chicks get bored. A 15 second feeding frenzy for mealworms is fun to watch, but then the chicks get full and lazy. They should be active - scratching, exploring, etc. Besides, those meal worms are expensive. Give the chicks a squash or melon to peck at, and if they're still inside in a brooder, a nice clump of dirt. Much better for them!
For more of my (opinionated) take on this topic see my FAQ about feeding:
http://hencam.com/faq/what-to-feed-your-chickens/

 

[ChickiesInUtah]

I've been tossing in a small handful of dried meal worms for the past few days. They love them!

An aside: I told my neighbor about how much the chickens love the meal worms. "Ewwww!" she said. "I"d never eat a chicken that ate worms!"

Alrighty then.

She then moved on to discuss splitting the cost of a pig this fall. I wonder what pigs eat....

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

I've been tossing in a small handful of dried meal worms for the past few days. They love them!

An aside: I told my neighbor about how much the chickens love the meal worms. "Ewwww!" she said. "I"d never eat a chicken that ate worms!"

Alrighty then.

She then moved on to discuss splitting the cost of a pig this fall. I wonder what pigs eat....

Your neighbor wouldn't like the chickens I use to keep. Lets just say I never had to pick up dog poop in my yard the whole time I had the chickens.

 

[ChickiesInUtah]

Your neighbor wouldn't like the chickens I use to keep. Lets just say I never had to pick up dog poop in my yard the whole time I had the chickens.

 

[mountainchick24]

In SMALL quantities, mealworms should be fine. Just remember that chicks are small, so you don't want to mess up the "dietary balance" by giving the too much protein. I give mealworms to my hens all the time and they love it!