Mealworm farming

[DMRippy]

Keep in mind too that the meds in medicated feeds are a lower dose, for prevention and not to cure. To cure you have to use a much higher dose of meds.

Cocci is not common in older birds that is one reason it is not recommended for laying age birds.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
BTW I have yet to find Gambird mixes with Meds in them anyway.

 

[kukupecpec]

I live in Tucson AZ and it is still super hot here. I would like to start my own little worm farm but DH is absolutely DISGUSTED - he has a strange and severe issue with bugs. So I want to know if I can keep a drawer system outside in the crazy 100+ degree heat?

I plan to get a simple 3 drawer system and was thinking of just spray painting the outside of the entire thing black to keep the light out during the day. It will be out of the rain, but it's nearly impossible to keep anything out of the sun here, so it WILL be in direct sunlight at times.

Would this work?

 

[Kassaundra]

I live in Tucson AZ and it is still super hot here. I would like to start my own little worm farm but DH is absolutely DISGUSTED - he has a strange and severe issue with bugs. So I want to know if I can keep a drawer system outside in the crazy 100+ degree heat?

I plan to get a simple 3 drawer system and was thinking of just spray painting the outside of the entire thing black to keep the light out during the day. It will be out of the rain, but it's nearly impossible to keep anything out of the sun here, so it WILL be in direct sunlight at times.

Would this work?

Direct sun and that heat I think would kill them, the direct heat more then anything I've had mine outside in our couple of months of 100-110 temps and they did fine. No direct sun though. Think outside the box about keeping them out of the sun like inside another container that faces north or a shade cloth or a combo. Also you would need a good fitting lid w/ an actual wire top, not just window screen, other bugs, lizards, reptiles, rodents, etc..... would love to eat them.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I live in Tucson AZ and it is still super hot here. I would like to start my own little worm farm but DH is absolutely DISGUSTED - he has a strange and severe issue with bugs. So I want to know if I can keep a drawer system outside in the crazy 100+ degree heat? 

I plan to get a simple 3 drawer system and was thinking of just spray painting the outside of the entire thing black to keep the light out during the day. It will be out of the rain, but it's nearly impossible to keep anything out of the sun here, so it WILL be in direct sunlight at times. 

Would this work? 

My DH said absolutely I could not keep them inside the house. That was before we found out they can't escape and are self contained in the bins. I have a three drawer bin setup but each bin has all stages rather than having them divided. I started off dividing to larva (worms), beetles and pupa but didn't like messing around with the bugs too much and worried about getting them somehow all over my house if I kept messing with them. Lol. While I am happy my chickens enjoy them, I personally get ooged out over creepy crawlie things.

I keep mine in my foyer since we don't use that area of the house and there is a glass door to keep them warm. They are thriving and I just have to toss in a carrot every now and then.

 

[Debbz]

.... was thinking of just spray painting the outside of the entire thing black to keep the light out during the day.... it WILL be in direct sunlight at times.

Would this work?

Ooops. That's how we made out experimental outdoor oven, painted it black and put it in the sun. Way too hot for anything to survive in.

 

[kukupecpec]

Thanks for the information!

We are off to shop for some drawers and other things needed. I will NOT be painting the drawers black! THANK YOU for stopping me from that horrible blunder!
I cannot keep them inside under any circumstances, the battle with DH is simply not worth the blow back, it took me weeks to convince him just to let me keep chickens! I'll save my next big battle for the incubator I've got my eye on =)
I MAY be able to swing keeping them in the tool shed though! It's not actually being used, and I have been given the job of cleaning out the old rusty dilapidated bug infested mess to use for storing my chicken supplies so it will really be chicken domain anyway

 

[Auscal]

I have a problem with my pupae. Very few of them seem to be hatching into beetles, most appear to just not hatch & simply become dried out husks. My "first generation" beetles are gradually dying off (at 5-6 months of age, which I think is normal?), and I am not getting many hatching to replace them.
My small shoebox size worm farm containers are kept outside, on a shelf underneath a small table, and the table is kept totally covered by a towel. Temperatures on the covered porch still quite regularly get over 100 deg, even in the shade. Humidity is very low (high desert climate). I am wondering if the pupae are being almost dehydrated, by the very low humidity.
Would it help it i soaked the towel that covers the table regularly - this might increase the humidity in the mealie boxes. Maybe I should add a small water bowl in the boxes?
The other option would be to move them inside, but that would then drop the temperature to high 70's. But, it would increase the humidity since we use an evaporative cooler to cool the house.
So, any suggestions on what i can do to get more pupae to hatch? Am I even on the right track by thinking high temperature/low humidity is the problem?

Also, one other newbie question - into the box that has the majority of worms, the wheat bran is being eaten - and there is a gradual build up of a material that almost looks like fine sand - is that "mealie poop" LOL.

 

[cluck-cluck]

LOL!! I know that one!

(Not having kids, I just turned chicks loose to clean up.)  It works pretty well to put a trash bag over the box opening and shake the WHOLE thing, paper and all, in the bag.  THEN shake 'em out of the paper, into the bag, and you can then check paper as it comes out, and dump the worms into the new home a lot easier.

I'm going to be chuckling over flinging 'em around all evening....thanks!

Yes, that would have been a good idea had I thought of it! Yah, it was funny, and I especially love freaking out my eldest, got some good reaction from her which was priceless

Auscal, I also live in a dry hot climate and what I did was put a cup of water in the center of my large converted ice cream container to help with the humidity. They also love the heel of our bread loaves, fresh, not dried, and apple cores, carrots and potatoes. Humidity is probably the #1 factor, then heat. 70 degrees should be fine for them, actually, did I not read somewhere that 70 was optimal?. Hope you can fix the problem before you lose any more!

And yes, that's poop, and it's supposed to be great fertilizer!

 

[Kassaundra]

auscal I believe it is a humidity problem too. Either option would work, bringing them in 70's is not to cool for them, but they may slow down a bit (not like hybernate or anything like that). If you put a container of water in your bin, make sure it is smooth sided enough that they cannot climb into it, the water will attract them and they will drown thier silly little selves (know this from personal experience)