Raising cockroaches and crickets for treats

Banana01

Songster
Feb 18, 2021
963
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San Martin, Peru
Hello. I have had some luck raising cockroaches for treats, and wondering if anyone else has done so what your setup is. I started off watching some youtube videos about how to raise cockroaches as apparently it is common for lizard owners to raise them to feed their pets.

If you've never seen a chicken and a cockroach, it's like watching a t-rex vs a cow. Cockroaches also have extremely high protein at 70%, compared to beef jerky for people that has 65%. It's definitely one of their favorite treats.

When it comes time to feed them, they become super excited and make the most happy chicken sounds, you don't ever hear them get that excited often. The mothers love to catch them with their babies and the most anti-boredom activity we have is cockroach feeding time.

Crickets are similar, because they even live with the cockroaches but I also have seperate cricket growing places. You tend to find large spiders in there as well, all of which the chickens will clean up for you when it's time to feed them.

If anyone is interested I can share how I raise them, it is hands off meaning I keep a cockroach farm that they live in, but I don't have to do any extra work. All that is required is a dry, dark place where cockroaches normally like to hang out.

I'm interested to hear if others raise cockroaches and if there is anyone, I'd love to hear your setups especially if they are closed systems. I tried a closed system meaning the cockroaches are enclosed in a box, but ended up switching to an open system because my setup didn't work. I can raise enough right now to feed a couple broods of babies and several adults about twice a month but I'm not really even trying. I could easily quadruple my capacity.
 
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I know that everyone has their own ways of doing things. In my case, and situation, My aim is to eliminate as much insect life in my lawn, and grounds, as possible. If I even suggested raising insects, DW would have me strung up from a strong overhanging branch. :old :gig:lau
I have been keeping chickens for over 20 years now. They free-range on my lawn when I am outdoors to watch for possible daytime predators. (hawks) They cleanup all the little creepy crawlers well. I remember, before chickens, we encountered much more crawling insects then.

So in my view, I think chickens should find what they can in the grounds they forage. I have no problem giving them extra protein, by tossing them some Dry cat-food. View my Avatar and you can see the chickens help themselves to cat food themselves. Yes those are outdoor rescued feral cats BTW. They live in harmony with all my chickens.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and:welcome
 
I know that everyone has their own ways of doing things. In my case, and situation, My aim is to eliminate as much insect life in my lawn, and grounds, as possible. If I even suggested raising insects, DW would have me strung up from a strong overhanging branch. :old :gig:lau
I have been keeping chickens for over 20 years now. They free-range on my lawn when I am outdoors to watch for possible daytime predators. (hawks) They cleanup all the little creepy crawlers well. I remember, before chickens, we encountered much more crawling insects then.

So in my view, I think chickens should find what they can in the grounds they forage. I have no problem giving them extra protein, by tossing them some Dry cat-food. View my Avatar and you can see the chickens help themselves to cat food themselves. Yes those are outdoor rescued feral cats BTW. They live in harmony with all my chickens.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and:welcome

It dawned on me that most people just buy a bag of dried mealworms of 53% protein which is very high. So they want nothing to do with this idea of cockroaches. I can't buy mealworms so I am trying to be more self sufficient. I can stack cardboard egg crates under a table in the corner of my kitchen and the cockroaches make that their home. I haven't even had to put any food, just the crates are enough. I never see them until I take them out to the chickens. The grasshoppers I raise outside with cardboard boxes.

For your lawn, the equivalent would be keeping rocks and old piles of wood laying around intentionally to create insect infestations, outside of course. My cockroach farms also sort of act as indoor traps. When the chickens eat the cockroaches, I try to not disturb the eggs they leave behind so they will be ready for the next time.
 
I was considering setting up a second container of Dubia roaches to accommodate feeding the chickens some roaches as a treat. I dropped in some of extra full grown male roaches into the run yesterday and there was definitely some competition for the bugs.

I was also considering setting up a superworm colony for both the lizard and the birds.
 
I raise dubia for the bearded dragon. I keep them in a plastic tub with a screened top. I stick to buying enough crickets for one meal at a time because crickets stink, chirp, and escape. Few things can make a person crazier than a noisy cricket at night.

My sister, who raises Dubia roaches for her Bearded Dragon and her tree frog (and also for sale except that is on hiatus due to her move), gives me roaches regularly and my chickens go crazy for them.
 
Hello. I have had some luck raising cockroaches for treats, and wondering if anyone else has done so what your setup is. I started off watching some youtube videos about how to raise cockroaches as apparently it is common for lizard owners to raise them to feed their pets.

If you've never seen a chicken and a cockroach, it's like watching a t-rex vs a cow. Cockroaches also have extremely high protein at 70%, compared to beef jerky for people that has 65%. It's definitely one of their favorite treats.

When it comes time to feed them, they become super excited and make the most happy chicken sounds, you don't ever hear them get that excited often. The mothers love to catch them with their babies and the most anti-boredom activity we have is cockroach feeding time.

Crickets are similar, because they even live with the cockroaches but I also have seperate cricket growing places. You tend to find large spiders in there as well, all of which the chickens will clean up for you when it's time to feed them.

If anyone is interested I can share how I raise them, it is hands off meaning I keep a cockroach farm that they live in, but I don't have to do any extra work. All that is required is a dry, dark place where cockroaches normally like to hang out.

I'm interested to hear if others raise cockroaches and if there is anyone, I'd love to hear your setups especially if they are closed systems. I tried a closed system meaning the cockroaches are enclosed in a box, but ended up switching to an open system because my setup didn't work. I can raise enough right now to feed a couple broods of babies and several adults about twice a month but I'm not really even trying. I could easily quadruple my capacity.
We have so many of both, I could just take a walk around the house, and catch them. Are grasshoppers OK? Same deal with lizards, but I favor geckos, so I won't catch those little guys. Are grasshoppers ok?
 

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