MEALWORMS - Raising Them the Easy Way

[ThreeBoysChicks]

This is good information to know. Thanks!

 

[Laskaland]

Wish me luck!! I am starting this after the first of the year!!

I am doing red wigglers too. Lots of fisherpeople around here, and my chickens love worms...

Questions:
1) can the chicken OD on worms?
2) what if the worms/beetles were put into the coop with the chickens? Would they grow in the wood chips?

In addition to the paperbags, do I put the plastic lid on the tote, too, or do I leave it open for air circulation?

Thanks!!
Christina

 

[chicamarun]

How do you feed the meal worms to them? My girls and boys all free range - so would I just toss them out like a snack? Kinda like I do other stuff?

I'm trying to think of some ways to get the cost of feed down (as always) yet get production up during this part of the year when it's cold and the chickens don't even want to come out

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:

Yep, I would just toss them and watch them play "keep away"!!

 

[Skip]

I've always noticed a good many mealworms out by the grain silo... Maybe I'll catch a couple and keep 'em around for my chickens!

 

[vermontgal]

My mealworms, that I bought at Christmas, are just NOW (early March) finally turning into weird-looking larvae from which the beetles will presumably hatch. I've been following JoeBryant's recipe, although in smaller quantities. I started out with 50 mealworms from my local pet store.

MissPrissy I think said it took a couple more months to get mealworms from the beetles.

I think my mealworms are too cold (60F inside the house in the winter) - but if the mealworms are kept around 70F, how long does the life cycle take?

 

[Tweeza]

Quote:
Yeah, after looking at some images online of a mealworm, I realize these are probably not mealworms. I am not really sure what you mean by "hot or cold compost". Here is the picture:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6712_worm.jpg

That is a black soldier fly larvae (aka pheonix worm, very expensive if you purchase them online). I grow them for free and my chickens go nuts over them.

 

[robot rooster]

um...what would one do with a mealworm?

 

[CarlaRiggs]

Feed them, very carefully, to one's chickens. Mine will tear off my hand in the melee if I don't watch out!

 

[vermontgal]

Anyone have an answer about how long the life cycle takes? It is now almost 4 weeks after my largest mealworms started turning into pupae. Now I do have beetles. At first the beetles were a straw-color, like the mealworms, but in the past week they have turned brown.

Here's my timing so far:

LATE DECEMBER
* Purchased ~50 mealworms at Christmas from my local pet store for a usurious price.
* Fed a few mealworms directly to the chickens as a holiday treat!
* Allowed ~25-30 to mature in a small tub inside my house, which is kept in the low 60s during the winter ... a little cool for mealworms, and this may be affecting how long it is taking for them to reproduce.

MID-MARCH
* Largest mealworms turned into pupae.

LATE MARCH
* Seemed to have all pupae, no more mealworms (larvae).

EARLY APRIL
* First beetles hatched. Beetles were straw-colored same as the mealworms and pupae.

MID APRIL
* Almost all beetles, no more pupae - and most beetles have now turned brown. I seem to have around 10-15 beetles.

What's next? How long until I can feed new mealworms to chickens? How can I ensure a good supply of mealworms for next winter, when the chickens will literally be cooped up for way too long...?

Thanks for any advice!