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[dancing cloud]

Having read a previous thread about ex-batts regrowing their feathers being much assisted by treats of tuna or mealworms, I was looking for recommendations as to which would be best. So, silly questions asked below ...

 

Does tuna make the eggs taste fishy, or is this just a (sub)urban myth? How much do you give them? I know springwater was mentioned, obviously not brine, but would sunflower oil be very bad for them? (Please don't shout at me if I should really know the answer to this!)

 

Are mealworms really gross? Do they start turning into flies ? Is it worth breeding your own (I know wiggly-wigglers sell a kit)? And how many do you give to the hens at once?

 

Since I don't spoil or indulge my little darlings at all , I'd appreciate everyone else's experiences, or they'll end up getting both - and then I'll have to explain to fat Puddy why I'm giving away her very favourite food on the planet (tuna, not mealworms )

[abwsco]

I've only tried mine on dried mealworms. They had half a tub between the eight of them the other day as I was leapt at by two of them and they knocked it out of my hand

 

I think Wigglys still have the email offer on fresh mealworms and was wondering about getting some. I don't fancy breeding my own and am wondering how you'd store them. Don't want them in my fridge

 

Sorry, not really been much help have I!

[Egluntyne]

I give mine tuna, dolphin friendly, if in saline -well rinsed.

 

The eggs have never tasted fishy.

 

I also ocasionally give them organic cat food, (not poultry based), which they hoover up so quickly it barely touches the sides.

 

I have also given them fisherman's maggots (undyed) which they love.

 

They love the dried mealworms, but they are very expensive.

[Dodge]

Egluntine said

They love the dried mealworms, but they are very expensive.

 

Unless you buy them on e-bay, I bought a 5KG bag for £57 including p&p which works out at about 80% less than you would buy them in a small tub from the shops. BTW 5KG of mealworms is about the size of a pillow.

 

This means that I can throw out handfulls every day for my girls and for the wild birds including a Robin which eats from my hand.

[Mrs Slats]

I have started giving my oven ready the Tuna, in springwater, not oil. She gets about a teaspoon a day broken up into bitesize pieces. It's easier to seperate her out for her treat. They can smell mealworms from 50 feet away.

 

The eggs are fine and don't taste fishy at all, and the cats enjoy clearing up the left overs after she has finished

[dancing cloud]

Many thanks to you all. I'll start them on tuna now, as I have some in springwater in the cupboard, and get some mealworms next month in the new credit card period . I'd like them to have as many feathers as possible before the weather turns really cold and wet. Dried mealworms sound great, as I won't have to worry about them turning into anything nasty when my back's turned, or having to explain to fat Puddy what became of her tuna

 

Thanks for the tip about rinsing tuna in brine to make it good for chooks, Egluntine . I don't have sufficient culinary skills to have even thought of that and would have spent a fortune on getting posh stuff in springwater, instead of getting cheaper stuff and giving it a good wash!

 

Loki can take or leave tinned fish, but I still have to figure out a way to hide what I'm doing from fat Puddy, or there'll be some serious sulking ...

[Richard T]

I'm sure I saw on here some time ago that dried mealworms don't actually have any nutritional value, so tuna would be better.

 

Mealworms are a good bribe for getting them into the run.

[Poplars]

Do you think that tuna would be good for my chicken who has recently been bullied and is in isolation until she recovers?

 

Would it help her grow her much missed feathers back?

 

(Judging by Richard T's message should I not bother with the dried mealworms we can get in the local pet shop?)