South Carolina

[FarmerJohn3285]

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PICTURES PICTURES!!!

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Worm farm? Somebody is doing a worm farm? We want to, but haven't got there yet...just got the chickens.

 

[emptynester]

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There are a lot of people doing meal worm farms for their chickens. type it in the search bar in the upper right hand corner and you will find threads that will take you days to read through LOL


Edited because my fingers work faster than my brain some days

 

[Lroach711]

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Exciting!!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I started meal worm farming back in April. I had 6 bins but got grain mites in 2 and had to feed them right then to the chickens so I am down to 4 big plastic bins, all in my den. I have millions of wormies and they are multiplying like mad. There is a great thread going on and I have learned tons from it.

My chicks adore me for them but the keets never have warmed to the idea of meal worms. Heidi's do seem a bit smarter as those buggers ate several that I put in yesterday.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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I got tired to trying to scoop them all out and make separate bins so I just let them all stay in their own bins now. Believe me, they multiply and grow like mad! I am not sure if it is because it has been nice and warm this summer, even in an AC house or if they will continue to grow like this through the winter.

I have tons and tons of worms! Here is a photo I took yesterday of my second generation AFTER I scooped about 6 cups out to feed.
On top of the newspaper.....

In middle of the newspaper........

And under the newspaper...........

And remember, this is only one bin and after getting out 6 cups!

 

[huckleberryfarm]

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You have worms in your den? You are dedicated to your chickens!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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Can't wait to see it!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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We will be seeing a lot of this in the next 2 months.
If he is hard to catch then he has enough strength to fight off whatever is bothering him. When he finally becomes easy to catch then you can treat him. He may well bounce back himself. I would just keep an eye on him (no pun intended!).

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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You have worms in your den? You are dedicated to your chickens!

I am dedicated to my DD, too.

She has about 70 Guinea Pigs in the house. They were out into the den when we had over 100 but she has cut back so they are all in the spare bedroom now.
My house is not a show place! I hate the mess but would rather spend my time doing what I want rather than cleaning. DD cleaned it up a few weeks ago and it looked wonderful.....for about 24 hours! Then DH hit like a tornado and we just never had put things back where they belong.

Mealworms do not have an odor, can't fly or crawl out of the bins so they are the perfect thing to grow for your chicks. However, raising them outside is difficult due to mice, moths and other critters enjoying them. I keep my bins covered only to make sure the cats don't think it is an extra litter box or place to play.

This is the most simple project I have ever done. These guys almost thrive on neglect! Goodness knows I have gone a week without adding carrots or tomato and they are still growing, hatching and pupating. Started with 5000 but now have well over a million and am feeding some all along.