Mealworm farming

[Ivywoods]

Yes, boys love bugs, but they learn so much from watching something like this. Maybe you have a budding entomologist there!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Meal worms may enjoy potatoes but mealies love apples as much as boys love bugs! LOL



One of our many tubs that is getting ready for shipment. This one holding about 7000 meal worms. They are on 3" of bran but we feed plenty of moisture foods every other day so they never are dehydrated and I always give them plenty to travel with. Happy worms make for some happy chickens! And happy chickens lay healthy eggs.

 

[DMRippy]

Meal worms may enjoy potatoes but mealies love apples as much as boys love bugs! LOL



One of our many tubs that is getting ready for shipment. This one holding about 7000 meal worms. They are on 3" of bran but we feed plenty of moisture foods every other day so they never are dehydrated and I always give them plenty to travel with. Happy worms make for some happy chickens! And happy chickens lay healthy eggs.

That is a lot of worms.

I need more worms.... I seem to have more beetles.... They seem nice and happy on top of the incubator... in the nursery room... plenty warm, almost hot. Maybe in another year I will have enough. I only use them now for injured/sick chickens.

 

[wsmoak]

Mealworm failure! I noticed "dust" all over the beetle container, and on closer inspection, the dust was MOVING!

They were infested with nearly microscopic mites (or something.) As I was headed out of town the next day, I dumped all three containers (beetles, worms, pupae) in the chicken pen.

Too bad, I was *just* getting ready to start feeding the nesting bluebirds.

-Wendy

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Mealworm failure! I noticed "dust" all over the beetle container, and on closer inspection, the dust was MOVING!

They were infested with nearly microscopic mites (or something.) As I was headed out of town the next day, I dumped all three containers (beetles, worms, pupae) in the chicken pen.

Too bad, I was *just* getting ready to start feeding the nesting bluebirds.

-Wendy

Oh, I know the horror of it! Visit my website and meal worm page to see close up shots I took of my invasion.
I tried to save my bin but wound up dumping it to the chicks and chickens, too. Cried the whole time since I had put a lot of work into the bins. But I had others and have worked on with those and learned from my mistake (once I remembered it!). Now, 9 months later, I have a house full of bins with millions of meal worms and beetles.

Don't feel bad, you can get it going again and soon have plenty to feed out.

At this time of year I do not feed meal worms to anyone but my new chicks since my older chicks go out on the ground or get clumps of dirt and grass for their pleasure. My brooder chicks all get meal worms a few times a week so now is the time to grow my bins for next winter's feeding. We hope to double our bins by Oct. We only have 14 right now.

 

[TonySorrento]

Mealworm failure! I noticed "dust" all over the beetle container, and on closer inspection, the dust was MOVING!

They were infested with nearly microscopic mites (or something.) As I was headed out of town the next day, I dumped all three containers (beetles, worms, pupae) in the chicken pen.

Too bad, I was *just* getting ready to start feeding the nesting bluebirds.

-Wendy

Aren't the babies nearly microscopic?

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Yes, they are but again, go to my website and look at the difference. I have photos of mites and photos of those itsy bitsy meal worms next to the tip of a writing pen. You will easily see the difference.

 

[ajlynco]

How do you mealie farmers sort/sift the worms you want to feed or sell, out of the substrate

 

[ScottM]

When using bran, you can literally sift them out with a pasta strainer, no?

 

[Emily1220]

How do you mealie farmers sort/sift the worms you want to feed or sell, out of the substrate

Pasta strainer works great. I bought a pasta ladle with a long handle to use when I want just a few. Thats when I was new at this. Now I just reach in the bin and grab a handful!!!!!