Mealworm farming

[KWatts2u]

Former city girl here......I just got 2000 from Amy (she's my hero

)......how long has it taken some of you to get to a million? a 1/2 bazillion? My ultimate goal is "a whole goo gob" of mealies, just enuf for the 9 I have now.

 

[galanie]

Somebody had a cool idea a while back putting all the beetles in a container that the live ones can climb out of, leaving only the dead ones.

Thank you! I need to clean my bin as they've been shedding and eating the newspaper, leaving a nasty top layer that is getting moist and causing an ammonia smell in there. That is a great idea for separating the beetles out of it w/out having to pick through it.

 

[Ivywoods]

Yesterday I found my FIRST BABY MEALIE!

If there's one I know there's more. My first of a bazillion!

Now I can quit worrying.... a little. I was afraid all my beetles would die before I got any babies.

 

[DMRippy]

Former city girl here......I just got 2000 from Amy (she's my hero

)......how long has it taken some of you to get to a million? a 1/2 bazillion? My ultimate goal is "a whole goo gob" of mealies, just enuf for the 9 I have now.

I started with about 1100-1300 worms last October or November. I just feed them and left them alone. I only feed the dead beetles and worms to the chickens. The rest just made babies for me. I got mine from a pet store, so they were not in the best shape. I had lots die. Your worms are probably healthier than mine were.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Former city girl here......I just got 2000 from Amy (she's my hero

)......how long has it taken some of you to get to a million? a 1/2 bazillion? My ultimate goal is "a whole goo gob" of mealies, just enuf for the 9 I have now.

Just saw this.

Thank you!
I wish I could get on the thread more but everything keeps me so busy on the farm and trying to run auctions and fill orders that come from my website. I wish i didn't work 16 hour days but that is life and I would not change it.



Again, thank you for the compliment. I try to help where I can.

 

[Ivywoods]

Amy-LOVE the cochin in your avatar. Very pretty!

After finding my FIRST baby worm, I was curious, so I got to digging around. There are LOTS! Yippee! Success!

I was able to find more babies in my top bin with my beetles than I did in the second bin under them. The third drawer is still empty, awaiting it's turn. It looks like my top bin will definitely be self-perpetuating. I spent a little time digging out some of the dead beetles, worms, skins, etc. I thought it looked like a lot of dead ones, but after digging around in them for a while what I fished out was really not as many as I thought it would be.

Yesterday I cut the root end off a celery stock and stuck it in there. It's the first time I've put celery in there. They seem to be loving that. I'll bet in the summer if I run out of fresh veggies I could go out to the yard and pull up a weed that has a moist root and stick that in there. I don't have a veggie garden. I have lots of flowers and there's always weeds around the barn and the woods.

The girls are going to get a treat today! (dead beetles)

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Thank you! My Cochins are my loves and I now have 4 breeding pens of the Mottled bantam Cochins. And they approve whole heartedly of meal worms!

 

[KWatts2u]

I started with about 1100-1300 worms last October or November. I just feed them and left them alone. I only feed the dead beetles and worms to the chickens. The rest just made babies for me. I got mine from a pet store, so they were not in the best shape. I had lots die. Your worms are probably healthier than mine were.

OK , so i guess I need to leave them alone (I play every day), and not feed any more to the chickens (I only pick out 25 or so a day). AAAhhhhhh it's going to be a long, LONG road but at least i
I know it CAN be done. thx again

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I just started looking into mealworms for my flock...YESTERDAY...and here is this thread...very nice.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Glad you found it! This thread is so full of info! You are lucky that you can read through it and learn all the ups and downs some of us have had to go through so that your colony or colonies will prosper!

Welcome!