Thousands of Grubs in Compost ( picture and video )

[Binababy]

Anyone here? I'm new to this but noticed today a ton of little dark crickets in a partial few month old round hay bale and I know they are the babies of the big dark crickets which my chickens love! I want to put it near my coop and run for when I do let them out to free range during the day I have began moving the hay hopefully with lots of little ones to grow big for my chickies and have added fallen live oak leaves and acorns and left over chicken poo and feed and will be adding horse and rabbit poo soon, is this the right way to make a compost pile for them to hunt food in? If anyone could give me advice I would gladly appreciate it

 

[Binababy]

EWW also what kind of bug is this???! Found it near my pile a little while ago sooo ugly and don't want my babies to eat it and it harm or kill them!!

 

[geedub]

This thread is about black soldier fly larvae.

Anyway, I'm not qualified to speak about other insects....

 

[Binababy]

Thanks, Im actually looking for a good thread on compost piles for my chickies

 

[Binababy]

Also I have them black fly larve things and my chickens won't really eat them..

 

[geedub]

Also I have them black fly larve things and my chickens won't really eat them..

Your chickens are the exception.

 

[Binababy]

Haha they are unique they are less than 6 months old, that may be a reason too though because they are only used to eating their food and field crickets they catch or I catch for them and feed to them they are so spoiled any other bugs like them larve I thought were maggots www but I don't know what maggots look like, I first give to my RIR to see if they would harm my chickies I don't know what bugs are good or bad..

 

[geedub]

I imagine it could take some exposure before a bird would eat something new. I used to feed BSF larvae to a few peacocks, and they were slow to eat them at first, but later would go crazy for them, like the chickens in the video.

 

[Binababy]

That's what I was thinking, because they didn't exactly go crazy for the field crickets the first time, but the second! And I let them out and they all love chasing themall or each other when one has one, but only my T-Bow was the only one to eat a larvae thing, and he wasn't crazy for it.. I think that will change if maybe I hold back their feed and treats til noon or shortly after, because I usually feed & water up early in the morning and afternoon, so they should be good and hungry for them

 

[Belinda7]

My chickens free-range all day, so to get them back in the coop quickly and efficiently at dusk, I clap my hands and yell, "come on chickens!" and boy, do they come running at high speed! They know it's treat time! I give them a variety of treats at that time, IN THE COOP, including meal worms in a chicken ball, or yogurt, cottage cheese or sour cream in a bowl, or whatever I have from my garden or yard at the time - pears, apples, tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon...basically any scraps in the vegetable or fruit category left over from the day, that are slightly less than perfect for canning...maybe a little bruised or getting soft.....and they will greedily eat every last drop. I highly recommend "treat time" for free ranging birds as an expedient way to get birds in the coop quickly.