Question for those breeding mealworms

[juliect]

I like using a soil sieve for straining out the frass.

Has anyone ever tried adding powdered milk in order to boost calcium levels in the worms? I added it to one of my containers as an experiment, but can't tell if the worms are actually eating it...it does seem to make their bedding stink though!

The larger more active mealworms DEVOUR leaf lettuce and kale (in addition to the usual potatoes, carrots, and apples). The beetles and smaller worms seem to ignore any leafy greens though. I don't use iceburg lettuce only leaf lettuce, because I feel iceburg doesn't add anything nutritionally.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

That sieve is a great idea, what size do you use?

 

[juliect]

Quote:
The 4.5mm and the 7.5mm sizes are great for cleaning out the larger mealworms from the old bedding and frass...then I resift with the finer mesh to get out any smaller worms (or I just let them grow up a little more if I am in a lazy mood). I also purchased the additional set of screens that has all the sizes not included in the starter kit. I plan on using it for the garden and greenhouse as well, so all the sizes should come in handy. And I plan on packing it to take to the beach to help sift for seashells this Spring!!

 

[Suechick]

I started a mealworm farm a few weeks ago with 50 mealworms I'm definately having trouble getting my farm going. After a week I had to go buy more worms 'cause I couldn't resist feeding them to my chickens.

I'm trying to be patient and not give them all to the chickens but it is soo hard not to, they come to my sliding glass door in the back and beg like puppies. Who can resist them?

I'm currently feeding them Rolled Oats. Does anyone else have trouble with mold growing on the substrate? I'm worried that this could be bad for the chickens. It's the green kind of mold that you find on old breat.

 

[HEChicken]

Hmmm...sounds like your setup is similar to mine - 50 mealworms on oatmeal. I haven't had any problems with mold. I also haven't fed any off yet but I do pick off the shed skins and will give those to the chickens - fine with them, although I'm sure they'll enjoy the actual worms a lot more

I am currently keeping the worm bin at DH's office because they crank the heat way up whereas I keep my house pretty cool. That seems to be pretty successful. I had them start morphing into pupae within 2 weeks of starting the farm, and found my first beetle a week ago today. My research says they start laying eggs 4-18 days after becoming beetles so I'm hoping there are eggs in there somewhere, though I haven't been to the office to see them for a few days.

 

[juliect]

Quote:
Yes, don't feed the worms from moldy bedding to your chickens. change their bedding completely and then feed them to the chickens after they shed their current skin (or keep them for beetles later).

I keep my older worms in rolled oats as well (beetles & smaller worms get wheat bran). I did have an issue with mold in the early days, but then I increased the size of the containers (to allow more surface area) and increased the number (& size) of the ventilation holes. If you have condensation building up on the lid, you may want to cut some larger ventilation holes or even leave the lid off or ajar. I prefer a more shallow container that has more surface area than a deep container, it just keeps everything drier and I haven't had a mold issue since. My most recent and FAVORITE addition to the worm farm is a 34 qt container that I purchased from Wal-Mart for around $6, and drilled several 2" holes into the lid...

It houses around 15,000 worms sucessfully.

 

[juliect]

Quote:
Just please don't try this with my chickens...you could receive a fatal dose of "stink eye."

I have cats that are far less finicky than my chickens!