Feeding advice for bantams (one broody, one moulting)

[Jules.]

123 pupae now and still no beetles!!

 

Some of the mealworms made the ultimate sacrifice today and were given to Korma to help get her appetite back.

How long did it take you to count them?

[little chickadee]

I've managed to get some photos although I couldn't get the camera to focus properly on the shots I wanted to put on (I wanted to show what the pupae look like before they are about to eclose)

The Creamy coloured beetle you can see by the 2p is fairly new and will turn a darker brown in a few hours. They stay still for quite a while with their wings out drying before putting them underneath the wing casing. With the creamy one, you can still see the wings underneath as the exoskeleton has not yet hardened and darkened.

We have 5 beetles now

 

 

 

 

 

[Helly Welly]

We have over 300 pupae now and about 10 beetles. Does anyone know if the beetles will fly I'm keeping the lid on just in case!

[Egluntyne]

What do you do with the beetles?

[little chickadee]

What do you do with the beetles?

 

You feed them as with the mealworms, wait for them to mate & lay eggs, then they will die and the mealworms hatch etc etc.

 

I have been told by the people at wiggly wigglers that they can't fly, but they very obviously have wings, so I think I may clarify that with them!

[little chickadee]

Now the beetles are older they have gone through from being cream, to light brown, to mahogany and then Black. My son is always excited to find a new cream one! They have mostly buried themselves to the bottom of the oats/ bran, but I have caught some playing piggy back on the surface

 

[Egluntyne]

Fascinating!

[Goosey Lucy]

Thanks for keeping this updated, I was wondering only the other day how things were going.

 

Piggy back rides, eh? Excellent description!

[little chickadee]

I've spied my first baby mealworms today. They are really really really tiny

(about 2mm)

 

I left the beetle tub too long and the apple went a bit mouldy, therefore making the bedding mouldy, so I'm trying to transfer the beetles into a new tub. I think it was just the bedding up the top that there was a problem with, so I should be ok.

 

The baby mealworms were wriggling around at the bottom. I think it will be rather a long time before they turn into beetles!!!!

 

All of my original mealworms are now pupae or beetles, so I think I might start some more off so that there is not too much of a gap in the cycle. Hmmm Children have pretty much lost interest now, but OH still thinks it's completely gross!

 

I won't try and post a picture, because they are so tiny I don't think it would really focus.

[Goosey Lucy]

Thanks for posting this, I've been wondering what's been happening with your farm.

 

It's taken longer than I thought. I agree that starting another batch now might be a good idea.

 

Shame your kids have lost interest but maybe now that you have your own wrigglers their interest will come back?

[Snowy]

Congratulations on your little ones!

I think the children might regain interest when they get to feed them to the hens!

[Chili]

This sound great. As well as chickens I also have a gecko who eats mealworms and they do cost a fortune. I am almost trampled to death whenever I feed them to my hens and so "growing" my own would be fab

 

Please let us all know how you get on and how productive it is. I'm going to have a look on the wigglers web site right now

 

Chili xx

[little chickadee]

Thankyou for your kind words Snowy - sounds like you think the baby mealworms must be really gorgeous!!!!!

[Snowy]

Oh yes, lovely!!

[Helly Welly]

Well done on the baby worms

 

I haven't got any yet, although there is an awful lot of piggyback activity. I ended up with so many beetles that i bought an aquarium to keep them in

Abi has taken a few beetles to school today for "show and tell". She really loves and loves pointing out when they are playing piggyback