Mealworm farming

[WestKnollAmy]

Okay dokey! I changed the background and color of my meal worm page. Please let me know if it is better now.

Also, DH made a few videos of me feeding meal worms to the chicks and is going to add them to my page soon. I think we will also add it to some breed pages, too as I feed them the meal worms. My Ameraucana youngsters almost take my arm off in the fight to get them. They go bonkers over the meal worms.

 

[emptynester]

I just transferred some beetles from my first batch over to a new bin. Whoot! Bin number 2 begins!!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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Chugging along nicely! You will have tons and tons before you know it.

 

[hannakat]

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Know what you mean.... I hope the same thing when I combine beetles from my stock with beetles from your stock!! Geesh, like it will be obvious..NOT. I'm hoping for green beetles

ps....that color background does make it easier to read. Great job!


emptynester ~ AHhh...the explosion of worms. Your chickadees are gonna

you!

 

[oneofseven]

It looks very good. I like the Easter eggs.

 

[kizanne]

Ok so my original bin has officially went full cycle. I started june 25th with large wormsk shortly after got beetles, removed all beetles after a month and now I have pupa in that bin. so the babies have grown up and are now pupating. I have been getting about 10 pupa a day with it increasing a little each day. My whole bin moves when I run my hands through it but I'm not convinced it will give me the amount of worms I calculated. I will update you as I notice how the system is going. Have moved about 70 pupa to the next bin need 600 pupa for that bin if my calcs are right. Then I can start feeding my girls

 

[hannakat]

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I love it when the substrate moves. I've also noticed that it's warm....

Why did you take the beetles out after only 1 month? They lay eggs faithfully for over 3 months. After 4 months I wasn't finding many eggs so at 5 months I fed them to the chickadees and froze some. I used a tray under my top, screened drawer so I was able to monitor the egg laying.

My plan now is to give the beetles 3 to 3-1/2 months of production and then ****chop**** off with their heads!

Happy chickadees

 

[kizanne]

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I love it when the substrate moves. I've also noticed that it's warm....

Why did you take the beetles out after only 1 month? They lay eggs faithfully for over 3 months. After 4 months I wasn't finding many eggs so at 5 months I fed them to the chickadees and froze some. I used a tray under my top, screened drawer so I was able to monitor the egg laying.

My plan now is to give the beetles 3 to 3-1/2 months of production and then ****chop**** off with their heads!

Happy chickadees

Oh silly me. I shouldn't expect you to know my 'system'. I took them out and put them in another bin I didn't throw them out. ( I just used them to seed my starter bin for a system I'm working on, seeding done took them out)

Ok here is the shortest I think I can do it.

I am working toward 1 cup of large mealworms a day estimated to be 1000 mealworms. So a 3 month cycle would need 90,000 mealworms, so 600 mealworms laying (1/2 males so 300 mealgirls) laying 200 eggs (up to 600) would be 120,000 mealworms and it take about 3 months to complete a cycle from egg to beetle. So that was just my starter bin, I'll take the first 600 pupa out (since I emptied the beetles there are only worms in the bin) those pupa go into another bin. After I take out 600 for mating everything left is chicken food which should last up to 3 months. As the beetles in the 2nd bin lay eggs and start to die. I take out 600 pupa and put it in a third bin then everything else is food. By the time the 3rd bin starts to pupate the 1st bin would be empty and ready for 600 pupa. I actually calculate this will give me more than the cup a day.

However, looking at my bin right now I'm wondering if it will turn out to be true. Will keep you posted. I'm not seeing 90 cups in that first bin but I have lots of worms that haven't grown up yet.

 

[kizanne]

and I just found a fabulous tray/draw system at Sam's will try to post picts later but 10 drawers for $30. Right now I have them in large storage boxes which are bulky (but ensures no escape) hard to hide. LOL

 

[hannakat]

Now I get it!

90 cups of worms in the bin, 90 cups of worms.... yes, I'm singing!
89 cups of worms in the bin, 89 cups of worms

I'm looking forward to your findings! I started with about 1000 beetles and know I don't have 90 cups of worms in the bin...(oh stop it

myself!)

However I do have cups of worms in the freezer too. Thank you kizanne for one of those 'lightbulb' moments. I can easily count a cup of frozen wormies. I'll get back to ya...........................