Thanks for all of your meal worm videos. I'm starting with your "plastic drawer set" idea first as I'm planning on getting some new backyard chicks this spring and I know they'll love them. The only more voracious eater of meal worms that I have seen was a toad in my backyard that I threw a couple of meal worms to. The speed he went after them was unbelievable!
Hey Jeff. Funny, but I never thought of feeding mealworms to toads or anything, I'll have to try feeding them to the frogs that have colonised my pond. Good luck with the new chicks! Lauren.
Super video. Doesn't make everything look so complicated that people might be discouraged! And GOOD tips on "store-bought, be careful, no reason to assume are especially healthy"-advice. Just got my first batch and they seem to be happy. Look forward to trying them as hen food and eventually food for me (husband will be hard to convert). Wonder how dogs like them fried up? Might make great alternative to meat for dogfood, too!!
thinking outside the box is a good idea. If they give protein to chickens why not dogs or even humans. May be considered a rare delicacy in other countries. Something new to research. She does very good videos. Just joined last week. Really appreciate her time and humor. have a blessed day.
be aware, I sifted the worm poop into the garden and there were either eggs or babies in that which I didn't know about. All my carrots had been destroyed by mealworms, never had mealworms in the garden before that and some fruits. I might recommend microwaving or freezing it before using it near your garden (esp if you are gardening for food)
Fantastic advice bob, thanks. And especially true if you live in a warm country where cold winters won’t kill off the beetles. I’ll freeze it from now on before it goes outside!
@@bobrobertsNotUrBob I have heard that freezing them for 2 days would kind of send them in to a dormant state and they never come out of it. thaw out and dry them to save ahead for your chickens.
@@bobrobertsNotUrBob I haven't tried it but seems like the cold is what puts them in the dormant stage, and the freeze puts them in the permanent stage.
Hello Trinity Abbott!! As a minimum I would start with a couple hundred. Assuming the ones you buy are full grown it takes about 2 weeks for a pupae to become a beetle. And another 2-3 weeks before you start seeing teeny worms in the bottom of their substrate.
Hello Jennifer, Yes you can give whole flax seed to older worms (more than 1.5cm long). But younger smaller ones will find the outer shell too tough to eat.
I liked the info for the sickly beetles and pupa. Something I hadn't thought about yet. Thank you.
Thanks for all of your meal worm videos. I'm starting with your "plastic drawer set" idea first as I'm planning on getting some new backyard chicks this spring and I know they'll love them. The only more voracious eater of meal worms that I have seen was a toad in my backyard that I threw a couple of meal worms to. The speed he went after them was unbelievable!
Hey Jeff. Funny, but I never thought of feeding mealworms to toads or anything, I'll have to try feeding them to the frogs that have colonised my pond. Good luck with the new chicks! Lauren.
if there are toads near a water source, I saw a person gathering tadpoles to feed their chickens and they went nuts for them.
Super video. Doesn't make everything look so complicated that people might be discouraged! And GOOD tips on "store-bought, be careful, no reason to assume are especially healthy"-advice. Just got my first batch and they seem to be happy. Look forward to trying them as hen food and eventually food for me (husband will be hard to convert). Wonder how dogs like them fried up? Might make great alternative to meat for dogfood, too!!
thinking outside the box is a good idea. If they give protein to chickens why not dogs or even humans. May be considered a rare delicacy in other countries. Something new to research. She does very good videos. Just joined last week. Really appreciate her time and humor. have a blessed day.
be aware, I sifted the worm poop into the garden and there were either eggs or babies in that which I didn't know about. All my carrots had been destroyed by mealworms, never had mealworms in the garden before that and some fruits.
I might recommend microwaving or freezing it before using it near your garden (esp if you are gardening for food)
Fantastic advice bob, thanks. And especially true if you live in a warm country where cold winters won’t kill off the beetles. I’ll freeze it from now on before it goes outside!
I think just pouring boiled water over it would be best to kill the eggs, rather than microwaving.
@@bobrobertsNotUrBob I have heard that freezing them for 2 days would kind of send them in to a dormant state and they never come out of it. thaw out and dry them to save ahead for your chickens.
@@johoney5458as in they never wake up again even after thawing the out?
@@bobrobertsNotUrBob I haven't tried it but seems like the cold is what puts them in the dormant stage, and the freeze puts them in the permanent stage.
How many Mealworms is the best to start with to breed them? How long does it take to start getting babies?
Hello Trinity Abbott!! As a minimum I would start with a couple hundred. Assuming the ones you buy are full grown it takes about 2 weeks for a pupae to become a beetle. And another 2-3 weeks before you start seeing teeny worms in the bottom of their substrate.
City Self-Sufficiency okay thank you so much!
Can I use whole flax seeds in the mealworms?
Hello Jennifer, Yes you can give whole flax seed to older worms (more than 1.5cm long). But younger smaller ones will find the outer shell too tough to eat.