What’s your opinion on Mealworms?

[DvorahChanah]

Wow,... really surprised at all the negative comments/feedback on mealworms and/or soldier fly. I give my chickens, Coturnix and button quail a handful several times a week as a treat. Adds diet diversity. Much appreciated and enjoyed by all! I prefer soldier fly now over mealworms: https://grubblyfarms.com/blogs/the-flyer/mealworms-vs-black-soldier-flies. I buy the dried in bulk: https://mealwormsbythepound.com/.

For feeding dried mealworms to Cotournix quail, what amount per day would you recommend? Or maybe not per day? Several times a week?

 

[Al Gerhart]

Just be wary of the source of any dried mealworms. The Chinese raise them on an industrial scale using things like human waste and contaminated grain, pesticides, heavy metals, mold, toxins, they aren't concerned about anything other than filling bags with dried meal worms at the cheapest cost.
I have heard but have not verified that you can tell point of origin of bar coded products by the first number. I wouldn't trust any seller these days to tell the truth about the origin of their products and they can ship bulk containers to other countries for packaging and evade notifying the ultimate customer of the point of origin.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Bar Codes and Country of Origin

Snopes

Elsewhere

etc etc.

Al has heard a popular urban myth. Sometimes true, often not.

 

[DvorahChanah]

Just be wary of the source of any dried mealworms. The Chinese raise them on an industrial scale using things like human waste and contaminated grain, pesticides, heavy metals, mold, toxins, they aren't concerned about anything other than filling bags with dried meal worms at the cheapest cost.
I have heard but have not verified that you can tell point of origin of bar coded products by the first number. I wouldn't trust any seller these days to tell the truth about the origin of their products and they can ship bulk containers to other countries for packaging and evade notifying the ultimate customer of the point of origin.

Thank you for the heads-up re point-of-origin.

 

[kimylos]

never fed them with mealworms, too many expenses for no reason

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I used to feed dry meal worms...
My girls get alfalfa pellets (soaked)
And that's all they get as a treat anymore...

@U_Stormcrow what's your opinion on this. I read a lot of your stuff you post abt food...

They also get a 20% all flock...

Am I upsetting their balance or adding to it since it's a good source of protein and calcium...

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I used to feed dry meal worms...
My girls get alfalfa pellets (soaked)
And that's all they get as a treat anymore...

@U_Stormcrow what's your opinion on this. I read a lot of your stuff you post abt food...

They also get a 20% all flock...

Am I upsetting their balance or adding to it since it's a good source of protein and calcium...

and a very good source of fat - the little boost of protein from mealworns makes essentially no difference to your birds, assuming your All Flock has a good AA profile. OTOH, you can easily double their daily fat intake with mealworms. That has much greater health consequences, they aren't positive.

Suffice to say, I'm not a fan.

In small quantities, occasionally? Just fine.

Compared to offering "a handful of scratch" which many seem to do each day??? Mealworms aren't nearly so bad.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

and a very good source of fat - the little boost of protein from mealworns makes essentially no difference to your birds, assuming your All Flock has a good AA profile. OTOH, you can easily double their daily fat intake with mealworms. That has much greater health consequences, they aren't positive.

Suffice to say, I'm not a fan.

In small quantities, occasionally? Just fine.

Compared to offering "a handful of scratch" which many seem to do each day??? Mealworms aren't nearly so bad.

So the alfalfa is abt as bad as mealworms?!?! am I reading that correctly??

I thought I was doing them a benefit....sigh

 

[Gigachad poultry]

I love feeding mealworms to my chickens and chick ad they are great for them, I also feel them waxworms every now and then, because I also have a bearded dragon who need them to live. He also eats lettuce so I grow that for the chickens as well.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So the alfalfa is abt as bad as mealworms?!?! am I reading that correctly??

I thought I was doing them a benefit....sigh

Sorry, I haven't had coffee, thought you were asking ABOUT mealworms.

No, Alfalfa is fine. Let them eat as much or as little as they want. They won't imbalance their diet with - lots of water, its not nutrient dense, but what it does have is pretty decent across the board. I do essentially the same thing with four varieties of clover, because alfalfa doesn't grow well here - but if it did, I'd plant more of it. Also, it attracts insects your bird may enjoy as an additional treat.