Raising mealworms question - sifting

juliect

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I have embarked on raising my own mealworms for chicken treats. Prices have gotten to high!

Does anyone have suggestions on sifting the mealworms and beetles from the spent bedding and castings? I've tried the sieves from the kitchen department and the mesh is so fine, that it clogs easily & therefore not very efficient.

Any suggestions?
 
Good Morning!
I would like to know if dried mealworms are just as beneficial as live mealworms....

Does anyone know?

Thank you and have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
 
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They should be just as nutritionally beneficial, but my chickens will not eat the dried....actually if there are any dead worms in their treat plate they won't eat the dead ones either. Apparently the worms have to be moving to be appetizing. You can try a small can of the dried mealworms and see how your chickens react. My chickens had live mealworms for the first few months, so that may be why they didn't like the dried (because it wasn't what they were used to).

Audobon Workshop offers several blends of dried insects. I have threatened to try my chickens on the Bird Candy
 
I think I answered my own question! Soil sieves...the thought just occured to me 30 minutes ago... http://www.joebonsai.com/bonsai-soi...et-finally-back-in-stock.htm?___store=default plus I ordered some of the different size screens to fit this sieve as well , so it can serve as a multi-use tool for the garden/greenhouse and maybe trips to the beach for sifting for shells!

Here is a link to a cool instructional video on cleaning mealworm farms
 
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What a great idea! I didn't know these existed so I used a section of window screen. The openings where big enough to let the frass and smaller bits of bran through but caught the shed exoskeletons and bigger bran.

Off to buy a dirt sieve.....
 
Here's what I'm using currently to sort the bigger worms and/or the beetles from the bran. It's a uniquely shaped colander and it works rather well. I found it on sale somewhere fairly cheap.

41N2jjq1npL._AA280_.jpg


(This picture is from Amazon.)
 
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Cool! Thanks!

BTW SillyBirds...the starter set with beetles that I purchased from you has taken off & has successfully produced two colonies. Thanks for starting me on another addictive hobby
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Raising mealworms has proven to be oddly meditative & relaxing.
 
Gosh. I hope someday I can raise mealworms. I've looked into it, but then I got to the part about the beetles. And the worm skins.
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How silly is that?
 
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Not silly at all. But the worm skins aren't that terrible, they are like little gold-colored pieces of fluff. Actually taking the colony on a windy day & removing the lid is easiest way to deal with them, they are feather lite and float away. If no wind, you can blow on them...just make sure you're upwind
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And the beetles aren't that bad either...kinda fun to watch. Plus they can't crawl out of a plastic container, so escapees are nonexistent.
 

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