Which size, and how many, mealworms to get....

[awesomefowl]

Hi,
I am going to try growing mealworms for my chickens. Which size should I get? Small, medium, or large. What's the difference? And how many to start with? I was thinking 500, as I only have 12 chickens, 5 of which are Seramas and Silkies.
Thanks!
A_F

 

[awesomefowl]

anyone???

 

[The Tinman]

Any size. They will not last long anyway

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

As long as you are getting standard mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), the size won't matter too much since they grow so fast. The more you start your colony with, the sooner you'll be able to sustainably harvest from the colony. I'd start with at least 500, but 1000 would be better.

 

[Chickenkate17]

I didn't know how many to get my girls....more is definitely better! They disappear in seconds!

 

[HorizonSon]

I'm just starting out with mealworm farming, myself

I would start with two separate "colonies". One that will start feeding now with; and omen set aside for your future perpetual feeding...

How often will you feed them? Only three times a week?
How many will you feed them? Five a piece?

That's 180 per week.

How long will it take for your mealworms to complete their cycle and produce "ready to feed" offspring?... Habitat determines a LOT of this. The more ideal their environment, the faster the life cycle is and the more eggs they will lay before they die. Happy and healthy dorkling beatles will produce much more throughout the year, than a colony that is just "getting by"... Regardless; my research suggests 3~6 months to really get the ball rolling.

Using the above data and frequency; that comes out to a bare minimum of 2500 for your immediate feeding and a bare minimum of 500 for your farm...

A seemingly feasible idea would be the following:

1. Figure your "mealworms per month" feed.

2. Add 25% to the total from step 1 and order this total.

3. Provide an ideal environment for your mealworm colony and keep them within it.

4. As your mealworms pupate; separate those into a separate colony that is similar to your first.

5. Repeat steps 1~4, once a month, until you have a colony in full circle.

You can get even more "crafty" with multiple colonies, etc, etc

I'm a total newbie and this is mostly theory, lol