Meal worms vs. Black solder fly larve

[Pampered chicken girl]

According to my sister, who keeps reptiles, Dubia roaches are superior in their nutritional profile.

I still don't give them too many at once.

I bet they would like them but are they alive when you give them if so I could not get over the ick factor lol

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I just heard you couldn't give them to layers because the bacteria and stuff would go into their eggs maybe I read something wrong

 

[NatJ]

I just heard you couldn't give them to layers because the bacteria and stuff would go into their eggs

Bacteria the chicken eats do NOT get in the eggs while the eggs are forming inside the hen.

Bacteria in the nest or on the outside of the hen could get on the outside of the eggs. Bacteria on the outside of the eggs might get to the inside of the eggs in some circumstances (wet eggs, or when you're cracking the shell.)

maybe I read something wrong

Or maybe you read it right, but the source was wrong.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I should also not that if you are producing those grubs, meal worms, BSFL, etc on your own grounds, then the only bacteria present in them are bacteria already in your environment, which your birds are already exposed to.

Whenever you bump into the subject of biosecurity, the value of maintaining (*as much as possible*) a closed system become immediately evident.

and if you are using a composting system to produce media for your bugs, aerobic AeRoBiC AEROBIC!

Anaerobic (w/o oxygen) BAD!

and to echo the others - HUGE fat source, easy cause of dietary imbalance. Not that they are "bad", simply that you have to understand their limitations and use them properly.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I just heard you couldn't give them to layers because the bacteria and stuff would go into their eggs maybe I read something wrong

Are you in the US?

Bacteria and viruses are everywhere and they keep us alive.

Apparently there is some noted concern and it's even illegal in some countries to feed mealworms to chickens..

https://cluckin.net/why-is-it-illegal-to-feed-mealworms-to-chickens.html

To me the real problem comes if the sub straight is contaminated..
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01613/full

Noting dry meal worms are WAY less enticing than live ones.. I kept my own colony and fed them out a plenty.. I never, not once had any issue with salmonella.

Live BSFL won't grow in my area due to low temperatures. Meal worms are a SLOW turn around at my temps.

Dry mealworms from China may have been fed on cardboard or styrofoam.. and not nutritious at all.

As others have noted.. the fat content is the only main issue.. Here on BYC.. you're always gonna get your entire routine questioned because there are many who are trying to use these type of high fat insects as their main feed source.. so we tend not to presume anyone's understanding.

Salmonella CAN infect eggs from the inside before laying.. quote and link follow..

https://www.livescience.com/10016-salmonella-eggs.html

"outbreaks of salmonellosis (an infection caused by Salmonella bacteria) still happen because Salmonella also silently infects the ovaries of healthy-looking hens, contaminating the eggs inside the chicken before the shells are even formed,"

For ME.. feeding meal worms and darkling beetles is "SAFE".

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

To follow up what Stormcrow said, anaerobic conditions lead to bad things. One of those things is botulism, caused by a toxin some bacteria produce. Maggots can ingest the botulism toxins without dying and pass them on to the chickens, which can die from the toxins.

Botulism is very common in wild birds that eat decaying things directly or the bugs that eat the decaying things. Botulism used to be very common in chickens over a century ago when most chickens were kept free range. In some localities botulism is called “grass sickness” because of its association with wet grass. It was also historically called “range paralysis” as the symptoms of botulism are neurological and closely mimic Marek’s disease. It is my opinion that many cases diagnosed by symptoms as Marek’s are actually instances of botulism.

All of that being said, I let my chickens eat all of the soldier fly maggots they want. Many seem to know which ones to eat and which ones not to. I’ve watched my chickens turn down entire matts of maggots during botulism outbreaks. The chickens that can sense it live and the chickens that can’t greedily eat whatever and shortly die thereafter.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I should also not that if you are producing those grubs, meal worms, BSFL, etc on your own grounds, then the only bacteria present in them are bacteria already in your environment, which your birds are already exposed to.

Whenever you bump into the subject of biosecurity, the value of maintaining (*as much as possible*) a closed system become immediately evident.

and if you are using a composting system to produce media for your bugs, aerobic AeRoBiC AEROBIC!

Anaerobic (w/o oxygen) BAD!

and to echo the others - HUGE fat source, easy cause of dietary imbalance. Not that they are "bad", simply that you have to understand their limitations and use them properly.

I don't "grow" them myself as I am to squeamish for that I just buy them dried at TSC

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Are you in the US?

Bacteria and viruses are everywhere they keep us alApparently there is some noted concern and it's even illegal to feed to chickens..

https://cluckin.net/why-is-it-illegal-to-feed-mealworms-to-chickens.html

To me the real problem comes if the sub straight is contaminated..
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01613/full

Noting dry meal worms are WAY less enticing than live ones.. I kept my own colony and fed them out a plenty.. I never, not once had any issue with salmonella.

Live BSFL won't grow in my area due to low temperatures. Meal worms are a SLOW turn around at my temps.

Dry mealworms from China may have been fed on cardboard or styrofoam.. and not nutritious at all.

As others have noted.. the fat content is the only main issue.. Here on BYC.. you're always gonna get your entire routine questioned because there are many who are trying to use these type of high fat insects as their main feed source.. so we tend not to presume anyone's understanding.

Salmonella CAN infect eggs from the inside before laying.. quote and link follow..

https://www.livescience.com/10016-salmonella-eggs.html

"outbreaks of salmonellosis (an infection caused by Salmonella bacteria) still happen because Salmonella also silently infects the ovaries of healthy-looking hens, contaminating the eggs inside the chicken before the shells are even formed,"

For ME.. feeding meal worms and darkling beetles is "SAFE".

I am in Florida and I read the things about it being illegal and that's why I asked this I feed the mealworms and BSFL in winter late fall and early spring because it's SOOO hot and sometimes to much fat and protein makes them hotter. In fact the only "treats" they get at the other times is frozen fruit like melon and some vegetables if I have them.

 

[3KillerBs]

I bet they would like them but are they alive when you give them if so I could not get over the ick factor lol

My chickens LOVE the live Dubias.

My sister informs me that some people prefer to buy them frozen.

 

[vawolfmom]

My turkeys will be 3 months old in a few day and always seem like they are starving. I switched them from the 30% game bird formula to a mixed grain scratch-which still says it is for turkeys- and supplement them with mealworms, soldierfly larve, grass clippings and vegetable and fruit scraps. Should I still be adding the 30% game bird mix?