Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Wowsers. I went to an insect fair at the weekend, and came away with millipedes (pets. Yes really!) and mealworms (Food. Chicken treats).

 

I had NO idea the impact a mealworm can have on a chicken. They are NUTS for them aren't they?! I have never seen them be so crazy into a foodstuff like this before. They have a healthy attitude towards their pellets every morning, but mealworms - different league. They could outrun Usain Bolt for the critters.

 

I thought they quite liked slugs, but the slugs which have come out in the rain are untouched. The mealworms were gone in a blink. I'm not sure I can sustain a ready supply of live mealworms that often. Can anyone else recommend anything else which gets them this excited?

 

They've also worked well in getting them used to the dog. They squawk a bit at him, then forget him in their mealworm-eating joy. They are a very effective treat. I assume a biggish handful a week between four isn't too many?

 

Anna x

 

ps: incidentally, if anyone's feeling adventurous, you can eat mealworms yourself. Make sure they're clean and have been reared cleanly by the breeder who supplies them to you, then squirt them with a bit of spray oil on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for about 20 mins on a med-high heat. Sprinkle them with paprika or chili powder and they taste exactly like Bombay Mix. Really. They're healthy but weird. But really, people do do this. I've tried them and they're really not bad. It's particularly fun to offer them round the pub and see if the 'hard' people are up for some!

[Angels4]

You should check and see if you can find "Freeze-dried" meal worms. I found some at my local pet store in the snake, lizard, turtle section. Much easier to store, and you can get twice as much for the same cost of live. Mine go absolutly bonkers for them.

[alk630]

Ours go just as crazy for the dried mealworms too. Ebay is a good place to look, we got a 1 Kg bag for just over £10, which compared to local pet stores and garden centres is an absolute bargain

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Not sure if I'll be trying the mealworms . I'll save them for my girls, I think .

 

I get dried mealworms from Ebay too - they love them .

[spratly0]

I think i'll leave them for the chooksters too!

 

But mine all love them, (though not quite as much as raisins)

 

I get my pots in the local Wilkinson, Think they are £2.49 a tub