Raising feeder insects

[Tdub4chiks]

Quote:
Ask me how I know. I've been raising mealworms for years. And, they didn't have commercial feed years ago, They fed off bugs of all sorts along with other vegetation.

IMO, Tdub

 

[HorizonSon]

Tdub4chiks; I was just ignoring that one's post. The only scratch our chickens get is MAYBE a lil bit in the morning and evening, when coming and going via the coop. They free-range ALL day; eating lots of comfrey, bugs, naturally occurring "grit", bugs, flowers, bugs, wild blackberries, bugs, wild huckleberries, bugs, chicken scraps, bugs, anything they find while roaming the forest floor; and least I forget, bugs!

Thing is; I'm about to dramatically increase my flock size. As a result; as I farm for myself, I will farm food for them, too. It was done for a millennia that way. F--- the industry and their "get away with slow systematic murderous agenda". Commercial feed is about profit margins and a disposable lifestyle. MY agenda is about a happy co-existence, and a healthy dose of responsible stewardship, with this planet.

A phd just means that you spent a lot of time and money having a group of people tell you what a group of people told them is the "truth". Personally; I prefer to learn the "truth" directly from the source. Reading original studies and reports is quite eye-opening!

Oh; and by the way... "Hello, my name is David" ;-) {{{hugs}}}

 

[Kassaundra]

Hello David, I agree. My goal is more self sufficiency so I intend to both plant garden for myself and my chickens and grow their protien needs too through insects. I may not be able to get to 100% but I plan on getting as close to that as I can for both me and my chickens.

Pet Duck boy how big is your colony?

 

[HorizonSon]

I'm going to break down and buy a bag of organic chick starter THIS time around... BUT! I do NOT want to make a habit of it. Finding what I can feed them the first 2~4wks is of my most immediate concern.

 

[Kassaundra]

I am new also to chicken raising and have my first ever batch at 5 wks old, we started giving them soft treats when we got them from the hatchery, chopped or mashed up small, but we did it as a supplement, their main food was chick start. Ours are fat and happy and growing like mad. From what I have read on here if you give them treats other then very soft they need grit also. Our bedding was sand in the brooder so that worked until they got a little bigger. We also went outside and captured insects (grasshoppers, cricket, worms, grubs etc...) starting when they were about 2 wks old any big ones we just cut for them. We made a game of it putting the hopper type under a pile of cut grass/weeds, or the worm/grubs under dirt and let them find them. It was great fun for them and us, insect football is so cool. They also started getting grit about then too, not just the sand. Scrambled eggs are one of their absolute favs!!!!!

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
4,000+? My beardies go through 5 adults a day each, and the leopard geckos can go through 20 mixed age roaches a week. Sometimes I place some out for the wildbirds, (The jays love them, as do the woodpeckers, the titmice love eating the smaller nymphs) and the chickens go through 50 a week. I fish with them to for panfish. It may seem like I have an unlimited supply but I almost had the colony crash when I wasn't watching the numbers a few months ago, and when I just tossed cups out to the chickens.

 

[Kassaundra]

Quote:
4,000+? My beardies go through 5 adults a day each, and the leopard geckos can go through 20 mixed age roaches a week. Sometimes I place some out for the wildbirds, (The jays love them, as do the woodpeckers, the titmice love eating the smaller nymphs) and the chickens go through 50 a week. I fish with them to for panfish. It may seem like I have an unlimited supply but I almost had the colony crash when I wasn't watching the numbers a few months ago, and when I just tossed cups out to the chickens.

Couple of questions if you don't mind. I've been reading all the how to info online that I can find, but haven't seen the answer to these questions yet

1. How many b. dupia fit in the large rubber maid type tote from Wal mart?

2. How do you tell how many you have/ when they need to be split into another tote?

3. How much do they eat per day/or week?

4. Do you reuse the water gel crystals, or just make new? How often do you change/add water/ whatever?

5. Why do you use a heating pad that doesn't have an auto shut off/ where do you find one like that?

Thanks.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
4,000+? My beardies go through 5 adults a day each, and the leopard geckos can go through 20 mixed age roaches a week. Sometimes I place some out for the wildbirds, (The jays love them, as do the woodpeckers, the titmice love eating the smaller nymphs) and the chickens go through 50 a week. I fish with them to for panfish. It may seem like I have an unlimited supply but I almost had the colony crash when I wasn't watching the numbers a few months ago, and when I just tossed cups out to the chickens.

Couple of questions if you don't mind. I've been reading all the how to info online that I can find, but haven't seen the answer to these questions yet

1. How many b. dupia fit in the large rubber maid type tote from Wal mart? I use a 50 gallon tub packed 3/4 full with egg flats, it can easily hold 10,000 roaches.

2. How do you tell how many you have/ when they need to be split into another tote? I usually just use a rough estimate to tell how many there are, I really don't know the exact answer. You need to split them whenever cannibilising takes place. (Eaten antennae, males with sevearly chewed wings, etc.) Otherwise this is up to you.

3. How much do they eat per day/or week? I usually buy 10 pounds of roach chow from theroachguy, if I fed only this my colony would go through a pound a week or more. I add chicken layer, bread, cereal, bran, oats, scratch, bananas, veggies, and many other things. Doing this makes the chow last half a year.

4. Do you reuse the water gel crystals, or just make new? How often do you change/add water/ whatever? No idea how to make them, but these things last FOREVER! The one pound super value crystals I bought from theroachguy last year has only 1/5 of it used. I reckon it'll last 3 more years.

5. Why do you use a heating pad that doesn't have an auto shut off/ where do you find one like that? I use a human heat pad set on medium which was bought at a CVS pharmacy. My room with all my reptiles and heating lamps stays at a warm 80 degrees, I moved it from the garage since it's cooled down in there. (Keep at least a 1/4 of an inch gap between the bin and heat pad!)

Thanks.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Be careful about humidity. I went on vacation and came back to a massive grain mite infestation in the house from mealworms.

 

[HorizonSon]

Hmmm...

Anyone have success with raising bugs that require very little time, effort and resources? Mealworms? Worms in general? Fly lavae? What will do fine in a high humidity climate that is usually between 40 and 70 year round? (Pacific NW Coast)