The ick factor

[cottagechick]

I got two chickens about two weeks ago. They are about 3 months old. One of them I can catch easily. The other one not so much. I read many people on here talking about training their chickens with treats. Everyone says they LOVE meal worms. Now the idea of meal worms just makes me nauseated. I am not dumb. I know chickens eat bugs. I told myself that I don't actually have to touch them I could pick them up with a kleenex. Heck, I've cleaned up various species poop and vomit in my life. What is a little dried worm, right? I reasoned that I touch all kinds of bugs with no problems: spiders, grasshoppers, ladybugs, worms, beetles. I have nasty flies land on me and don't have a fit. I have even accidently stepped on a cockroach and a slug barefoot. After a reasonable period of discust induced screaming and catatonia (and after scrubbing all of the skin off of my feet) I lived. But standing in the feed store holding an $8 bag that promises in bright happy letters to contain at least 3500 of the most horrible looking DRIED, CRUNCHY meal worms. GGGAAAAAHHHH... I stood their trying to imagine myself voluntarily storing a bag of crunchy, dried worms in a cabinet or drawer or shelf somewhere on my property. I tried to imagine myself sticking my hands in the bag of CRUNCHY dried worms and pulling one out....I put it back and drove away without it. Even though that is why I went there. My stomach is roiling right now as I write about it. Is there anyone else who feels this way? What is it about these nasty things that chickens love so much? Is there any thing less vomit inducing that they like?
Thanks,
Julie

 

[KenK]

Cook some rice in broth.

 

[cottagechick]

Quote:
Seriously, they like rice in broth? As much as crunchy meal worms? Then why do people bother with meal worms?

 

[leadwolf1]

Mealworms are high in protein...rice, is not. I buy mealworms, both dried and alive, for my guys to add a boost to the nutritional value of their feed. Plus, they love them...especially the fresh ones cause they squirm

 

[KenK]

Quote:
Seriously, they like rice in broth? As much as crunchy meal worms? Then why do people bother with meal worms?

Of all the things I've ever fed mine that was what they liked the best. A nice, rich, rice pilaf with butter, chicken broth and good basmati rice.

 

[cottagechick]

rofl. Do you give them red or white wine with that?

 

[KenK]

I wouldn't actually make it for them, just had some left over. : )

 

[DazeGoneBy]

Don't know where, but my hubby got some long-handled tweezers for feeding dead flies to a venus fly-trap we had several years ago. The tweezers were about 7 inches long.

So, if you can't abide touching the worms, serve 'em up with tweezers. The chicks will still see the tasty treat is coming from you, but you don't have to get the heeby-jeebies...unless, that is, seeing the worm double-up on itself and wriggle around on the tweezers grosses you out.

In that case, just shake the bag out on the ground in their run and think of baseball while you do it.

 

[ninabeast]

I have some in a plastic container, and I either let them eat it right out of the container as I hold it out, or I sprinkle some on the ground. No need to touch. The ickiest part to me is, when I look at a full container of DEAD, dried mealworms, I could swear they're moving...

 

[gryeyes]

I wont pay the price for the dried ones, but I do get the heebie-jeebies dealing with the live ones.

My chickens love them so much, though.... When they were chicks, I used a plastic fork to winnow them from the wheat meal in which they were living (bought containers of 500 at a time) to drop a few at a time into the brooder.

Now I just dump some of the container out on the ground for the chickens, so there's no close and personal contact with 'em.