Mealworm farming

[DMRippy]

Does anyone know of a way to raise worms (meal or others that chickens like) without using bran, but using something that is easier to grow or scavenge for free, like leaf litter or wood chips or potatoes, cabbages, and carrots? Or how about even crumbled up bread (I have access to free stale bread!) Has anyone tried this, I am trying to find the cheapest and most nutritional way to feed the chickens....

Bran is CHEAP I got a 50lb bag for $12 it is going to last me FOREVER. You can't use the veggies as a sub-straight..... the bread would mold I would think, leaf litter might mold too. They eat the bran, they can't eat the wood chips. Well they could but might not live long.

dirt..... try that.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

QUESTION

I looked up how many eggs a beetle lays...I found 500-600 per female beetle...Please don't tell me I'll have 500,000 mealworms in a couple weeks?

 

[DMRippy]

QUESTION

I looked up how many eggs a beetle lays...I found 500-600 per female beetle...Please don't tell me I'll have 500,000 mealworms in a couple weeks?

If it was only that easy......

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Quote: That's what I thought! I literally said out loud to the computer- "your lying!"

 

[Kassaundra]

Does anyone know of a way to raise worms (meal or others that chickens like) without using bran, but using something that is easier to grow or scavenge for free, like leaf litter or wood chips or potatoes, cabbages, and carrots? Or how about even crumbled up bread (I have access to free stale bread!) Has anyone tried this, I am trying to find the cheapest and most nutritional way to feed the chickens....

Bread can be used, I have experimented w/ it, as I too have access to much free stale bread. you have to stack it loosely only a couple layers at a time let them dry and put a few more. I also had regular substrate as my intention was to use the bread as edible cover which they do love. That being said I do not know if the bread on it's own would have enough nutrition for them. I am an exceptionally lazy worm farmer and my colony has had several set backs but even so it has not grown like some people on this thread so take that info for what it is worth.

One poster way back at the beginning of this thread used dirt as a substrate b/c she had intense either mold or moth issues I don't really remember, but she said the dirt worked well she basically just fed them the fruits/veggies/ whatever.

 

[Kassaundra]

If it was only that easy......

AMEN!!!!!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

QUESTION

I looked up how many eggs a beetle lays...I found 500-600 per female beetle...Please don't tell me I'll have 500,000 mealworms in a couple weeks?

hehe! one can only wish! I can picture the chicken feeding frenzy now!

 

[showbarnmom]

Bran is CHEAP  I got a 50lb bag for $12 it is going to last me FOREVER.  You can't use the veggies as a sub-straight..... the bread would mold I would think, leaf litter might mold too.  They eat the bran, they can't eat the wood chips. Well they could but might not live long.

dirt..... try that.

What kind of bran? I feed my horse rice bran, but it's like $40 for 25lb bag lol. What type and where is it bought at?

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
I think it was wheat bran at the Co-op

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I think it was wheat bran at the Co-op

Me too, wheat bran at tractor supply, like 12 bucks. I put it all in my deep freeze after i baked it.