Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

It could make clearer that it is only dried mealworms that are prohibited, and then by accident so to speak, as they count as PAP (processed animal protein) and then fall foul of a rule about feeding PAP to monogastrics. But it may change soon. "The current European regulations allow insect meal from seven insect species to be used, but only for aquafeeds, while their use for pigs and poultry is still under discussion. Future researches are needed to continue to provide legislators with new data in order to support the decision making process and to obtain approval for pig and poultry feeds. " Animals Fed Insect-Based Diets: State-of-the-Art on Digestibility, Performance and Product Quality, Animals 2019, 9, 170; doi:10.3390/ani9040170 The UK is still following EU rules until and unless it or the EU make new ones about any given subject.
 
This is strange about the article:
(Took two statements out.)
  • This is because most mealworms are imported, and they’ve often been found to carry disease.
  • If you’re in a country where feeding mealworms are allowed, or if your chickens are finding them in your yard - they make for a healthy snack.
The one statement contradicts the other.

Btw: here they sell dried mealworms in the agri, pet , gardening and livestock shop , in the chicken supplies lane.
They do not sell any prohibited feed.
 
This is strange about the article:
(Took two statements out.)
  • This is because most mealworms are imported, and they’ve often been found to carry disease.
  • If you’re in a country where feeding mealworms are allowed, or if your chickens are finding them in your yard - they make for a healthy snack.
The one statement contradicts the other.

Btw: here they sell dried mealworms in the agri, pet , gardening and livestock shop , in the chicken supplies lane.
They do not sell any prohibited feed.
It seems like the second sentence is intended to be reassuring rather than accurate.
 
It seems like the second sentence is intended to be reassuring rather than accurate.
I rather think the writer is not giving proper information and not complete in his answers about feeding worms.

He mentioned that there are many kind of mealworms, but doesn’t say which ones , or from which country , they found diseases. And how can dried mealworm be dangerous? Is he talking about eggs from parasites? As far as I know, virus’s and bacteria don’t live long in a dry environment.
 
I rather think the writer is not giving proper information and not complete in his answers about feeding worms.

He mentioned that there are many kind of mealworms, but doesn’t say which ones , or from which country , they found diseases. And how can dried mealworm be dangerous? Is he talking about eggs from parasites? As far as I know, virus’s and bacteria don’t live long in a dry environment.
I was thinking the same about dried mealworms. I don’t give them often but I have a bucket that should last years I give them so rarely. 😂
 
Yes it's not a very well informed webpage. I think the actual risk with dried mealworms is the potential accumulation of heavy metals; I recall reading something about mercury. But if you know what they've been eating, it's fine. The trouble with Chinese mealworms is those farms are not open to external bodies checking what exactly they're feeding, and western food hygiene standards demand to know what's gone in to the food chain every step of the way.
 
Yes it's not a very well informed webpage. I think the actual risk with dried mealworms is the potential accumulation of heavy metals; I recall reading something about mercury. But if you know what they've been eating, it's fine. The trouble with Chinese mealworms is those farms are not open to external bodies checking what exactly they're feeding, and western food hygiene standards demand to know what's gone in to the food chain every step of the way.
^^ that is my understanding too. Mealworms can accumulate heavy metals and pesticides both of which survive the drying process.
They can apparently also harbor some fungal spores that are pretty indestructible.
There was a lot of fuss about how they are fed polystyrene and human waste and that could cause risks. Most of that concern focuses on Chinese mealworms because, as you say, they are not as regulated or inspected as needed to meet at least US food (FDA) standards. But I assume there is at least a soupçon of jingoism thrown in to the ‘scary Chinese mealworms’ stories.
Sorry I don’t have sources to hand, but I looked into this when I switched my chickens to insect based feed as it seemed more important when it became a major source of protein rather than an occasional treat.
I rarely give them as treats for a totally selfish reason which is I cannot stand the smell of them!
For anyone keeping them a long time let me recommend storing them in an air tight container and maybe even in the freezer. Over the years I have had an open packet completely eaten by some kind of weevil. Not a disaster as the chickens enjoyed eating the weevils! And an unopened packet that went moldy (threw that one away).
 
Here is molting Diana catching some rays for my tax payment.
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Yes it's not a very well informed webpage. I think the actual risk with dried mealworms is the potential accumulation of heavy metals; I recall reading something about mercury. But if you know what they've been eating, it's fine. The trouble with Chinese mealworms is those farms are not open to external bodies checking what exactly they're feeding, and western food hygiene standards demand to know what's gone in to the food chain every step of the way.
always good to avoid anything coming out of china
 
^^ that is my understanding too. Mealworms can accumulate heavy metals and pesticides both of which survive the drying process.
They can apparently also harbor some fungal spores that are pretty indestructible.
There was a lot of fuss about how they are fed polystyrene and human waste and that could cause risks. Most of that concern focuses on Chinese mealworms because, as you say, they are not as regulated or inspected as needed to meet at least US food (FDA) standards. But I assume there is at least a soupçon of jingoism thrown in to the ‘scary Chinese mealworms’ stories.
Sorry I don’t have sources to hand, but I looked into this when I switched my chickens to insect based feed as it seemed more important when it became a major source of protein rather than an occasional treat.
I rarely give them as treats for a totally selfish reason which is I cannot stand the smell of them!
For anyone keeping them a long time let me recommend storing them in an air tight container and maybe even in the freezer. Over the years I have had an open packet completely eaten by some kind of weevil. Not a disaster as the chickens enjoyed eating the weevils! And an unopened packet that went moldy (threw that one away).
This is what i found about dried mealworms from thebirdfamily in NL : source. https://thebirdfamily.nl/product/gedroogde-meelwormen/

Larvae of the meal beetle
The live mealworms are the larval stage of the mealworm beetle (Tenebrio Molitor), a species of the Darkling Beetle. The meal beetle lives in nature on rotten wood, but also on wheat flour, among other things, and can be a pest for certain plants and grain and flour processing companies.

The mealworms are grown on a plant-based substrate such as grain meal. Just before they pupate, the mealworms are dried by means of microwaves.

Other sites.
Most suppliers dont give a clue. And there was one who said the the dried mealworms in the bag are partly European and partly of Asian origine.
 

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