Raising Mealworms: 3 Quick, Easy Tips To Produce Cheap, Protein-Rich Feed
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- Thank you to the viewer who suggested I raise mealworms for my turkeys! Using kitchen scraps to raise additional protein-rich food for our livestock is a great way to create a closed-loop system, cycling a waste product into free food for poultry, which they to turn into food for us.
Here is how I'm setting up my mealworm raising system in 3 easy steps.
(you can get live mealworms in the refrigerated section of your local feedstore or tackle shop)
Ways to support our work:
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Another source of food could be the mash from beer making. So, if you make beer or have a neighbor who does that could help. But I totally bow to Angela's expertise in this area.
That is a great idea for another resource. I used to brew beer and I have several friends who do and I had not even thought of it. Thank you!
I also recommend growing house crickets for variation! They're just as easy and I find them more entertaining. People generally feel less perplexed about them too...
I have one and so noisy..he s alone and yet his voice echoed across the house
@@TheTrue2lyf I can't deny that even though I like the chirps
I've been working on raising mealworms for MONTHS and the first round of babies are still not big enough to feed to my lizard. Its been very very slow, and I nearly gave up, but then I managed to find some tiny babies, so I'm hanging in here.
I have a neglected colony that I am trying to make more efficient. I give them the thick stems of things like chard or broccoli. They appreciate it more than the chickens so it is a great resource when we arent keeping pigs (who definitely eat the veggie stems!). Thanks for the video.
Thank you for this video. I have been wanting to do this for some time. I purchase dried meal worms at my local feed store because if I have to herd my chickens for some reason (like bribing them back into the yard or their run), meal worms work best. All I have to do is shake the bag and the chickens come running!
Do you have a video on raising black soldier flies?
A great place to keep insect feeders is above kitchen cabinets. That weird spot above the cupboards is one of the warmer places in the house and it's a lot safer than a heat mat.
I grow sprouts over mine, but this is excellent too!
Thank you for the tip!
Please keep us updated on this project. My concern is the "breeding stock." What if they escape? Having lived through years of a bad roach infestation, there's something about growing beetles on purpose that doesn't feel right to me, lol. I can sure see the value of them, though!
I thought the same way until I paid for bugs. But no matter when I would buy dried worms my dogs would find them. They love mealworm as well. So I raise them now
Found the video! Thanks!!
I would love to see an update in a few weeks!
I have found mine love cotton balls. I'm guessing they may eat some but the beetles lay eggs in the cotton. Then they hatch and continue living in it.. If I mesa up their cotton by morning they have it all nice and smooth by morning.
I really like your personality
If you don't have poultry, you can feed meal worms to wild nesting songbirds. Reminder, currently there is a avian flu issue and we, in my state are being recommended not to feed wild birds so as to not attract 'crowds' of birds to any one place. I used to feed mealworms to my chameleons when I was young, and I used a similar method. Brings back memories.
I can’t wait until avian flu is gone. I feel sad not putting out my birdfeeders and trying to discourage song birds in the garden during this time
Flu is a myth.
What happens later on when the substrate has been consumed and you have mostly frass? Do you add more substrate and if so at what point? Or, do you need to pull out some mealworms and beetles and dump everything into compost bin/pile and then refill the substrate and put back the beetles and mealworms?
From what I read, you sift out the frass and add more substrate but I haven’t gotten there yet. They really go for the food so far and not so much the oats.
@ParkrosePermaculture when you sift out your frass make sure to keep it safe. You'll have babies in it
So if the beetles lay 500 eggs - only one or possible 2 are enough to 'save' and do you just keep them in the same container? How long does it take? Do they eat the same food? I feel like I learned something wonderful and now want more information. Thanks.
Would chickens/turkeys etc eat isopods?
Cause I have a lot of isopods and was thinking if giving excess ones to fellow chicken raisers would be a good idea ;)
One thing to consider if you feed you animals live food it is cycled into an active food chain inviting pest and parasites this is why processed quality feed is better your run lower risk of infecting yourself and/or losing your stock. What parasites do you have in your area/state that can enter the food chain and you.
Did you get your meal worms at Burns Feed? I have meal worms on my project list this spring, for my poultry.
Angela, this is off the subject, and I apologize. I just ordered some fall gold raspberries. Can you do a video on how you care for them? If you already have, can you refer me to that video?
You could just look it up...
thank you 🤍🕊