Mealworm raising

[Chicken butler]

Howdy!
I am finally starting to raising mealworms for my chickens!
And I thought I would share my experience with y'all!

Ok for starters I would like to recommend you get ALL of your supplies before you order your mealworms.
I had to order a bag of wheat bran from our local feed store because no one sells it in my area
Ok, for starters you will need the following supplies to start
1. Wheat bran, I got a 50 pound bag for about 20$
2. Plastic containers, I am recycling an old plastic drawer set that was in the barn when I moved here.
3. Kitchen scraps, carrots, apples, squash ect...
4. MEALWORMS! I ordered mine from Uncle Jim's. All of them arrived alive and healthy!

They have already shed their skin and should turn into beetles in about a week.

Will keep y'all posted!

 

[Chicken butler]

 

[Chicken butler]

So I take it y'all think mealworms are gross? Lol

 

[Ext 918]

I think this is a great idea. And a very cost-effective method. That being said, any worm other than nightcrawlers for fishing give me the heebie jeebies lol. My Husband offered to handle the raising of meal worms, I passed because we get 105÷ degrees all summer, and I don't want them in the house.

 

[Ext 918]

Perris shared a link on how they are raising mealworms on one of my posts. Perhaps there will be useful info for you there.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/first-attempt-at-mealworm-farming.1350136/

 

[Chicken butler]

Perris shared a link on how they are raising mealworms on one of my posts. Perhaps there will be useful info for you there.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/first-attempt-at-mealworm-farming.1350136/

Thank you for the info. It was enlightening.

 

[Chicken butler]

Up date!
Hey guys! So good news and bad news, good news is, about 15 have turned into pupa! Bad news is about 30 have died. I don't know why, it has been getting to be about 90 degrees lately. Are they over heating? I changed out their bedding thinking it was too much moisture, but that didn't help the majority are hanging out in the corners. Any ideas?

 

[SnackMeat]

Probably so. Is the bin in the shade or somewhere relatively cool?

 

[Zenmonkey]

Commercially sold mealworms are treated with a grown hormone that triggers extra larval instars in order to increase size. This works, but the first generation under home cultivation typically has high die off rates. Even more upsetting is that those which compete the metamorphosis into beetles are often not beautiful examples. Missing limbs, bent shells, etc. A difficult molt is a brutal thing.

The good news is that those that survive will usually lay at least a few eggs, and the second generation is usually much healthier. Though typically smaller than you might hope for.

Also wheat bran is typically only used because it is cheap. Mealworms grow just fine on a wide range of grain based materials. Such as chicken layer pellets. Or whatever chicken feed you have handy. I like to think better food makes them more nutritious for the birds.

Kyle at RoachCrossing.com sells a Wissman line of mealworm. Selectively breed to be larger without hormones, and not treated with hormones, so usually getting past that first generation is simpler and less stressful. Tell him Zenmonkey sent you, and he's likely to only charge you 10% extra.

 

[notabitail]

Up date!
Hey guys! So good news and bad news, good news is, about 15 have turned into pupa! Bad news is about 30 have died. I don't know why, it has been getting to be about 90 degrees lately. Are they over heating? I changed out their bedding thinking it was too much moisture, but that didn't help the majority are hanging out in the corners. Any ideas?

I had some. 90F is a little hot, though if they're inside it's probably more like 85F, which should be ok. Make sure they're not in direct sunlight. Also ensure you remove any old food. It will go moldy and smell terrible.

Quite a few will die and not make it.

I use oatmeal as bedding in mine. They seem to like it.