Single hen

[little chickadee]

Hi - My chickens adore mealworms and the kids love giving them to them, but they do get a bit pricey. I've seen that www.wigglywigglers.co.uk do a breeding kit so that you can produce your own supply. Has anyone tried doing this, and, if so, how successful was it???!

[Helly Welly]

Ooohh, i might give this a try, at £8.50 it's not going to break the bank and it means i can officially call myself a farmer

[Karen & co.]

Ooohh, i might give this a try, at £8.50 it's not going to break the bank and it means i can officially call myself a farmer

 

 

karen x

[jos]

Hi little chickadee,

Like you I decided I was spending too much money on buying mealworms, so now I breed them myself. It is quite straightforward but you do need a bit of room for the tubs. And it took longer than I thought for the whole breeding cycle but I'm up and running now with a constant supply of free mealworms and very happy chickens!!

[Lovemychooks]

I can't find the mealworm kit anywhere , is it called a mealworm kit ?

[Goosey Lucy]

You have to look in the bit where it says live food or something like that, they have live mealworls to buy as well as the kit and extra food you might need.

 

I couldn't find find it at first either.

 

Sorry, don't know how to do links yet

[Lovemychooks]

Oh ok, thanks Goosey Lucy

[Goosey Lucy]

No worries, but I'm not sure what everyone else in the family will think if we start growing our own wrigglers. If you get one can you let me know how easy/hard/practical it is,

 

Thanks,

 

Lucy

[Lovemychooks]

Yes, definately.....well that's if the chickens don't lynch me beforehand

[little chickadee]

will do. My son is dead keen on the idea, so I think we'll give it a go

[maizey]

Hi,

You mentioned that your chickens love meal worms. Can you tell me what is involved in breeding them. ?

Hi - My chickens adore mealworms and the kids love giving them to them, but they do get a bit pricey. I've seen that www.wigglywigglers.co.uk do a breeding kit so that you can produce your own supply. Has anyone tried doing this, and, if so, how successful was it???!

[AJuff]

Looks very interesting. The idea of growing your own mealworm is tempting especially as Daisy is mealworm mad. Where do you keep them if you are growing your own? Do they need heat?

[Amanda newbie]

The meal worm kit from wiggly Wigglers arrived yesterday, I only ordered on Sunday. Now this does give me a concern. Could I really put up knowing that I had beetles growing in my house. Ahhhhhh

 

The whole process doesn't look too bad except you have to change the food the worms are fed, humm does this mean lifting them out and putting new food down. Guess I am a whimp.

 

Ok the whole process as in the instructions

 

Find three shallow trays, old ice cream tubs will be fine. Put the meal worms in about 4cm of bran, supplied,(tray1). The mealworms need to be kept between 45-85 degrees. 77 degrees is perfect.

 

Feed the worms small pieces of fruit and vegetables. Replace the food weekly. The bran bedding must not get wet or it will ferment and kill your worms.

 

After a few weeks they will develop into white pupae which dont eat but wiggle like mad if touched. Remove these and put into tray2 and wait for them to develop into male/female beetles. Place the beetles in tray 3 and add bran and feed with fruit and veg. These will now mate lay eggs and die.

 

Hope this helps those. like me who didn't have a clue how to do this.

[MaggieMcHen]

Sorry................. I think I'll carry on buying mine I too had seen the kit and thought might give it a try BUT I don't think so.

 

Yukkkkkkkk

 

Maggie

[Shirl]

Find three shallow trays, old ice cream tubs will be fine. Put the meal worms in about 4cm of bran, supplied,(tray1). The mealworms need to be kept between 45-85 degrees. 77 degrees is perfect.

 

Feed the worms small pieces of fruit and vegetables. Replace the food weekly. The bran bedding must not get wet or it will ferment and kill your worms.

 

After a few weeks they will develop into white pupae which dont eat but wiggle like mad if touched. Remove these and put into tray2 and wait for them to develop into male/female beetles. Place the beetles in tray 3 and add bran and feed with fruit and veg. These will now mate lay eggs and die.

 

Hope this helps those. like me who didn't have a clue how to do this.

 

So you leave the eggs and they hatch into meal worms? Wow I've kept lizards that ate meal worms in the past and got to the having live beetles stage but chucked them in the bin!

[Amanda newbie]

Thanks for all the reassurance

 

Anyone want a mealworm kit????

[little chickadee]

You can do it - It's not bad really!

[BERTIE MCSQUIRTY]

crikey i think i must be broody for chickens etc.

 

i read the title

 

"ANYONE TRIED BREASTFEEDING THEIR OWN MEALWORMS"

[Amanda newbie]

now that really is taking it a bit far.

[laurmurf]

did it work?

I'm thinking of getting a kit for one of the kids for xmas!

[Janty]

We are still breeding from our original kit that we got a year or so ago.

[Helly Welly]

We never managed to get any new babies but it was certainly fun and educational whilst it lasted.

[Saronne]

There's Christmas sorted!

[Valkyrie]

I had my mini farm going for some 5 years or so (probably longer) for feeding the wild birds, having several big biscuit boxes on the go - all different age stages. I have finally given up because I gradually got more allergic every time I cleaned them out (I was fine initially, then my nose reacted and then my eyes). I eventually had to wear a mask and goggles because I had a very bad attack of asthma - last time I had asthma was when I was little and luckily I was able to borrow OH's puffer! The last of the mealworms were polished off this weekend by very happy hens. Now I have more room for their chicken bits!

[Lydia]

We've had our 'farm' for 2 years now and it's still going strong.

 

Agree about the dust though - we cleaned ours out yesterday and were both sneezing all evening.