Live mealworms

[yorkielass]

I have read a few posts on here where chickens have been given live mealworms. I was told not to give them as they can bite the hens crop causing infection. Anyone have any ideas whether this is true or not?

[AL37]

Hi Yorkielass,
From what I can find on the net, regular mealworms shouldn't pose any threat to hens.
However, I have discovered there is a meal worm known as a giant mw and then one known as king mw Apparently these are likely to bite if swallowed whole.

[yorkielass]

Thanks for the reply Al. Think I will stick to the dried ones anyway, don't fancy the idea of handling live ones! Maggots I can cope with, mealworms....nah! Giant and king mealworms, don't like the sound of them either I am just a big scaredy cat

[AL37]

One of the sites I looked at recommended chopping the heads off the king mw's before feeding them to chooks

[yorkielass]

*shudder*

[stace]

[4c lady]

Hi Anne

Now im the opposite to you maggots I really cant do as they are dirty and smelly but I find mealworms are very clean and dont smell and ive started breeding my own in a couple of sweet tins in the spare room. Ive never been bitten by a mealworm although they do grip with their front legs - after all wouldnt you if you were dangling inches from a chickens beak!. My girls love their mealworms but werent that keen on the maggots that I got given by a fisherman (undied ones). Another one of their favourites is waxworms and ive tried them on crickets but they werent so keen on the crickets - I threw them in the run and chickens and crickets sort of just looked at each other but the girls tucked in but they werent that impressed.

[yorkielass]

Hi 4c

Are mealworms easy to breed? Hubby was talking about having a go! As long as I don't have to handle them I don't mind

[Dinchy]

I bought a tub of dried mealworms in asda a few weeks back. The woman on the checkout had a fit!! "OMG are they alive? They are moving about" she said. Silly woman. I dread to think what she would have been like if they had been live

[ihatejacknjills]

Hi 4c

Are mealworms easy to breed? Hubby was talking about having a go! As long as I don't have to handle them I don't mind

Mealworms are very easy to breed. I found 4 mealworm beetles upstairs in my house that had flown in through the window - I now have about 30 baby mealworms. I am going to raise these all to beetles so that I have a larger colony, and then I should be able to feed the next batch to the chickens.

[4c lady]

I put any pupa or beetles into a tub with wheat bran or wheatabix and half an apple or potato and they lay their eggs in the food. When you see the bran/wheatabix move (may have to move the bran with your finger) then move the beetles to another tub with wheat bran or wheatabix and just keep doing the same. Its taken ages for mine to lay eggs and for the babies to actually get bigger so im still buying live mealworm. One day I will be able to harvest my own. My girls eat the dried ones but they much prefer the live ones.