Single hen

[piptiddlepip]

After all the talk of how much chooks love mealworms on this forum, when I popped to the petshop to get some straw I noticed they had a tub of dried mealworms. So I bought some of those.

 

Couldn't wait to get them home, "The girls are gonna love these!"...put some in a dish and told the girls they were getting a special treat...

 

Maggie: "What the hell are these?"

Pip: "They're mealworms. All chickens are supposed to love them."

Maggie: "They're all dry." *flings some over shoulder*

Pip: "Don't do that, they were £2.99. Look, give them a chance, you'll like them."

Maggie: "I don't think so. Just go and get some mash, will you?"

 

The lot of them turned their beaks up and only forgave me when I came out with the mash. Just my luck to get stuck with picky chickens!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Oh dear . Mine love them .

 

Don't give up, they do change their tastes just like kids .

 

Try mixing them in with other treats, see if they get picked out!

[Mrs G]

My girls were exactly the same - I ended up feeding them to the wild birds, at least they appreciated them!!

[AMS]

My girls weren't very impressed with mealworms the first couple of times I offered them... now they demand them!

 

Alison

[HENthusiastic]

Mine love them! Meal worms are their favourite treat.

[ruth1]

Esme jumped up knocked the tub out of my hand followed by a frantic scrum where chickens tried to scoff as many as they could and I tried to grab back as much as I could and stuff them back in the tub

[Sandychick]

Try leaving them to soak in water for about an hour or two. They re-hydrate and go soft and worm like again. I would challenge any chicken not to be tempted by them then!

[Angels4]

Gosh all my girls have to do is hear me shake the tub and they follow me like I'm the Pied Piper....They LOVE them.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

What?! Are you SURE they're chickens?!

 

Mine are mental for mealworms, but when I threw them a corncob today, they thought it was a bomb or a fox. They all huddled as far away from it as possible and just stared at it! Try scrounging a couple of live mealworms? The movement may interest them and they may decide they like them?

 

Anna x

[Guest]

I hung a corn cob in the door of the run, and they refused to go in... Something to do with it being yellow, I think. As for mealworms, I made the mistake of mixing some in with the mash one day as a treat, and they emptied the whole grub onto the ground in order to pick the mealworms out first. Aaaaagh!

[Guest]

I tried our new girls with some dried mealies today and they gave me that look but once they'd tried them, I had them eating out of my hand, literally!

[piptiddlepip]

Well, I rehydrated some overnight and by the end of today Esme had decided she rather liked them and finished the lot off. The jury is still out with the other three!

[sandyhas3chucks]

Esme jumped up knocked the tub out of my hand followed by a frantic scrum where chickens tried to scoff as many as they could and I tried to grab back as much as I could and stuff them back in the tub

MINE TOO SQAME THING

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I hung a corn cob in the door of the run, and they refused to go in...

 

They are such scaredy cats (or should that be chickens ). Whenever I try to throw something tasty like an apple core into their run, they scatter like I've just chucked a grenade in .

[piptiddlepip]

Mine do that when I throw corn!

 

Today I hung up some greens for them to peck at while I was at work. They moseyed over, had a peck, lost interest and went back to free-ranigng - but when I put them away in their pen they were pecking at the greens as I left!

[Dodge]

My girls pretty much mug me when I get the mealworms out

If I am holding the tub, then one off them jumps up first on to the back of the garden chair, then jumps up on to my shoulder and then tries to gobble as many of the mealworms as possible before I shoo her off.

 

I normally throw out a good couple of hands full each night before bed.

 

Top Tip

 

I buy my mealworms on e-bay and pay £57-00 incl postage for 5kg. They come in a big bag, about the size of a large pillow. They last for months and work out at about a saving of 80% of the cost in the shops.

 

Regards to all

 

Dodge

[piptiddlepip]

Thanks so much for the tip, Dodge. I thought £2.99 was a bit extortionate for a small tub of what are, after all, maggots on steriods.