Mealworm farming

[LibertyChick]

Quote:
Welcome OhioPete!!!
You can buy the #50 wheat bran bags at your local feed store for about $ 15. They carry it for horses and it works perfectly fine.
However, for the last 12 month I personally have only used organic wheat bran from Purcell in Idaho, because most of my mealworm customer just want to feed their pets organically grown mealies. Yes, it is pricey, but real good quality.

Crazy...do you also feed your chickens organic? Do you have a soy-free feed? If so, do you know of a company that does make a soy-free formula?

 

[crazy huhn]

Quote:
Welcome OhioPete!!!
You can buy the #50 wheat bran bags at your local feed store for about $ 15. They carry it for horses and it works perfectly fine.
However, for the last 12 month I personally have only used organic wheat bran from Purcell in Idaho, because most of my mealworm customer just want to feed their pets organically grown mealies. Yes, it is pricey, but real good quality.

Crazy...do you also feed your chickens organic? Do you have a soy-free feed? If so, do you know of a company that does make a soy-free formula?

Yes, I personally have not used the soy-free from them (yet), but our San Diego chicken group orders bulk from Modesto Mills and all of our SD members are really impressed with their quality.

 

[Lil'ChickFarm]

Quote:
I wonder if I am reading this right. I think Meal worms produce in about two inches of substrate. Do you have this tub 40 gallons full of substrate?

 

[LibertyChick]

Quote:
Crazy...do you also feed your chickens organic? Do you have a soy-free feed? If so, do you know of a company that does make a soy-free formula?

Yes, I personally have not used the soy-free from them (yet), but our San Diego chicken group orders bulk from Modesto Mills and all of our SD members are really impressed with their quality.

Thanks, will have to see if my feed store will get it.

 

[LibertyChick]

Lil'ChickFarm :

Quote:
I wonder if I am reading this right. I think Meal worms produce in about two inches of substrate. Do you have this tub 40 gallons full of substrate?

I have about 1 1/2" oatmeal and some wheat bran.

Now, I've just had my mealworms for about 2 weeks now and almost a week for the 2k organic ones. I was seeing some pupae in there so I thought I would sift thru and see what I could find.

I have about 25 pupae (might have missed some though) and 5 beetles 2 black and the other 3 brown. I took all the pupae I found and put them in a little bucket to sit in the corner of the bigger container, so I could keep an eye on them and what they are doing. Not sure if I got these with the 2k I received or not because I just dumped them into the bin and they immediately dig.

The funny part is that I found ALL THE PUPAE AND BEETLES in the oatmeal and ZERO in the wheat bran area. I thought that was interesting. Any ideas why this might be?​

 

[OwensMom]

Well, I see that while I've been gone the farm is just hoppin!!! We picked up a few more members-HELLO to everyone.

Well My bins continue to pupate!! The bin with the worms is now teeming with pupa and this morning I saw a few beetles!! The beetle bin is still full of beetles and the dead pupa seem to be disapperaing. Must be becoming beetle food!! I guess that the chicken food does not have any growth inhibitor since both bins have the same substrate!! The worm bin looks to have as many pupa right now as worms!!!

I put in some yellow squash for food yesterday. The response is less than enthuastic. There are a few worms on the squash and a few more beetles. When I remove the squash will go back to celery.

Going to collect a mess of worms to give the chickens a meal tomorrow. This time of year is so wonderful. The abundance of the garden, worm bin overflowing(well not really) and green everywhere!!

Happy pupating and tally ho, Lynn

 

[Klwright1122]

Lil'ChickFarm :

Oh and I have always raised mine in wheat germ. At times I have added chicken scratch.
I get the whole large bag at the feed store for 13.00 and it lasts forever. Just a pain to find a place to store it. I break it down in plastic bags and it is easier to put away. I have dealt with moths from it though in my bird room. Those are a pain. So today after reading this, I am going to rotate freezing it.
I do that with my fifty pound bags of bird seed to keep bugs out.
Although it might be interesting to raise those bird seed bugs for my chickens, hehe.
By the way, I sprout my seed for my birds and my chickens eat some daily now too. They LOVE IT and it is a daily treat for them.
I think also it is a cooler for them right now in this heat, poor babies!!! Almost a hundred all week. I keep ice jugs in their pen. So far they are good and it is supposed to break tomorrow.

You sprout your bird seed? U poor it in something and wet it and let it grow--then feed it to them? Thats kinda cool...my pen doesn't have any grass yet. We plan on putting in some raised beds and growing some--putting chicken wire over the top so the grass grows up through and they can eat it without scratching at it...but not a project we will get to anytime soon..so your seed idea is a good alternative for now...thanks!!​

 

[OhioPete]

Quote:
I ended up at a local "organic type" store and they had wheat bran in bulk containers to purchase. I had never been there before but thanks to whoever mentioned it, I gave it a shot...neat place actually.

I paid a $1 a pound but considering the feed store is about 30-40 minutes away it was worth it. I bought 3 lbs which when mixed with a little cornmeal was enough to fill all three bins. I bought 300 mealworms (all they had at the local pet shop) and we are giving it a go. My son (8) is very excited...my wife and daughter (12)...not so much..

So far the only animal we have that eats meal worms is my sons Leopard Gecko but we should get o.k from the city (hopefully

) in a few weeks for chickens. We put a couple of potato slices and a couple of carrot slices in and they are eating them up.

My sons dinosaur guarding the mealworms....and it keeps the cats off the top

 

[LibertyChick]

Quote:
I ended up at a local "organic type" store and they had wheat bran in bulk containers to purchase. I had never been there before but thanks to whoever mentioned it, I gave it a shot...neat place actually.

I paid a $1 a pound but considering the feed store is about 30-40 minutes away it was worth it. I bought 3 lbs which when mixed with a little cornmeal was enough to fill all three bins. I bought 300 mealworms (all they had at the local pet shop) and we are giving it a go. My son (8) is very excited...my wife and daughter (12)...not so much..

So far the only animal we have that eats meal worms is my sons Leopard Gecko but we should get o.k from the city (hopefully

) in a few weeks for chickens. We put a couple of potato slices and a couple of carrot slices in and they are eating them up.

My sons dinosaur guarding the mealworms....and it keeps the cats off the top

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/JustinGalco/IMAG0433.jpg

You are welcome! I frequent our local food coop. I am what we call a member worker. I'm a member (one time fee of $100 for the membership, per adult in the household) and I work 13 hours a month for my 24% discount. It's really worth it when I buy organic food that is on sale, use a coupon and then take off the discount.

We should not have to ask permission to own chickens...it's our birthright! Nullify!

 

[OhioPete]

Quote:
There is a group of us in town making progress towards getting the ordinance changed. We are making progress.