Meal worms: Super Expensive Form of Protein?

[WindingRoad]

So, I read a lot about people feeding meal worms to their flock for high-protein treats.

A quick look at tractor supply shows the price ranging from over $1/ounce (for a 10 ounce bag) to about $6.50/lb for a 5 lb bag.

So, what am I missing? For far less than $6.50/lb, I can buy many different kinds of meat at the grocery store....ground beef, chicken, fish, even many cuts of beef. Heck, sometimes ground turkey or chicken goes on sale for 99 cents a pound around here!

What is it about meal worms that make them better? Is it the fact that they're dried, so without the moisture content you're getting more raw protein per pound? Is it the snack-ready size?
If it's not that, what am I missing? If they're worth $6.50+ a lb, should *I* be eating them?!

B

So, I read a lot about people feeding meal worms to their flock for high-protein treats.

A quick look at tractor supply shows the price ranging from over $1/ounce (for a 10 ounce bag) to about $6.50/lb for a 5 lb bag.

So, what am I missing? For far less than $6.50/lb, I can buy many different kinds of meat at the grocery store....ground beef, chicken, fish, even many cuts of beef. Heck, sometimes ground turkey or chicken goes on sale for 99 cents a pound around here!

What is it about meal worms that make them better? Is it the fact that they're dried, so without the moisture content you're getting more raw protein per pound? Is it the snack-ready size?
If it's not that, what am I missing? If they're worth $6.50+ a lb, should *I* be eating them?!

Buy them from Chubby Mealworms. I bought 60 lbs last Nov for $297. That's less than $5 a lb. Come in 4 15 lb resealable bags. Watch for coupons. Check prices sometimes lessor amounts are a better deal. Also, sign up for their rewards card. I got $10 off my next purchase. With meat from the markets there are too many recalls for tainted meat.

As far as you eating them. They sure do smell very good. If I could get over the fact that they are worms I might eat them.

ETA: I used one 15 lb bag for 4 chickens (2 chickens 2 Pullets) in 5 months. I do give both morning and evening. Too much I know but I have gone from 3 handfuls to 2. So hopefully they won't notice. And when the ground thaws, or should I say if, they will free range and I will lower my usage then.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Meat from a cow isn't the same as meat from an insect. If you tried to replace the mealworms in a lizard's diet with chunks of beef, you would end up with a very unhealthy lizard, because lizards aren't made to eat meat.
I'd be a bit wary of feeding too much straight-up meat to chickens, for much the same reasons. Sure, they'll eat mice and lizards, but it's not going to be too much of their diet. Not like insects are.

And, yes, mealworms are fairly easy to breed for cheap. You can basically just keep them in a bin of oats. They're also entirely edible by humans, if you want to eat them. Crickets can be made into cricket flour, and I'm guessing you could probably also make mealworm flour. Or mealworm granola bars.

 

[Folly's place]

 

[RadiantJay]

So, I read a lot about people feeding meal worms to their flock for high-protein treats.

A quick look at tractor supply shows the price ranging from over $1/ounce (for a 10 ounce bag) to about $6.50/lb for a 5 lb bag.

So, what am I missing? For far less than $6.50/lb, I can buy many different kinds of meat at the grocery store....ground beef, chicken, fish, even many cuts of beef. Heck, sometimes ground turkey or chicken goes on sale for 99 cents a pound around here!

What is it about meal worms that make them better? Is it the fact that they're dried, so without the moisture content you're getting more raw protein per pound? Is it the snack-ready size?
If it's not that, what am I missing? If they're worth $6.50+ a lb, should *I* be eating them?!

I’m with the majority on this one, mealworms are way overpriced. I use other forms of Protein as treats and have my own meal work farm.

Examples, when we buy a rotisserie chickem at the grocery, instead of throwing out the carcass, place it in your run. The chickens will pick it clean ASAP.

Food scraps food scraps food scraps. We don’t throw away any food, anything the three kids don’t eat goes to compost and chickens.

There’s lots of Protein in veggies
Like broccoli, spinach, beans, peas, etc. you can feed them these from table scraps, feed them what you don’t eat from your garden, and buy at store. I have worked out a deal with my grocery store, 2x per week they give me a box of veggie trim that can feed an army. Ask the produce manager if they’d be willing to give you their “trim”. You’ll be surprised about how much food good growcery throws away and will give for free.

Make your own worm farm. Keep in dry place
- 5 gallon bucket
- 3/4 filled with pine shavings
- add live Meals worms
- place 2-3 halved sweet potatoes or regular potatoes on top
- add half cup of dog food

Literally do nothing but refresh the potatoes every 2 months and add more dog food occasionally.

Keep in dry place outside and cover with hardware fabric with rock on top. I love in CA and mine is outside year round.

Watch out for any funk, stink, or nasty odors. If they occur, remove the affected pine shavings and add more.

Pick out worms and feed away.

 

[MissChick@dee]

All I know is that they taste like roasted nuts.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I spoil my chickens.
I have my first colony of worms. That make beetles that make larvae/pupated grubs and then big fat meal worms. I feed all stages. Keeping them is easy.
I still buy dried worms because my husband just can’t handle ... live bugs

 

[kwaple001]

So, I read a lot about people feeding meal worms to their flock for high-protein treats.

A quick look at tractor supply shows the price ranging from over $1/ounce (for a 10 ounce bag) to about $6.50/lb for a 5 lb bag.

So, what am I missing? For far less than $6.50/lb, I can buy many different kinds of meat at the grocery store....ground beef, chicken, fish, even many cuts of beef. Heck, sometimes ground turkey or chicken goes on sale for 99 cents a pound around here!

What is it about meal worms that make them better? Is it the fact that they're dried, so without the moisture content you're getting more raw protein per pound? Is it the snack-ready size?
If it's not that, what am I missing? If they're worth $6.50+ a lb, should *I* be eating them?!

 

[kwaple001]

You can get dried meal work from Amazon Prime for about $51 for 11 pounds. I repacked it into individual zip lock bags. While $4.63/ pound isn’t cheap it’s not bad. The hens LOVE it so I use it as a treat. I bought it over a year ago and still have some left. I’ve also give them black Oiler seed as a treat. I. can’t remember what that cost but I’m pretty sure pound for pound it was more. I use it more heavily when they molt to encourage their feather to grow back faster. Cat food is also really high in protein and can be used as a treat during molting.

 

[Sandy W.]

I buy mealworms in bulk -- 11 lb bag ($4.72/lb or .27/oz)-- and portion it into zipped sandwich bags. I dispense the mealworms one bag per day (small handfuls from the sandwich bag throughout the day in their coop run). I have eight birds and the method works great for me and prevents me from overfeeding them. The mealworms last for several months.

 

[breege]

Mealworms can be the cheapest form of protein you can find, if you put a little money into them upfront. I have a half-gallon ketchup container on my kitchen counter (what can I say? My kids like ketchup!) I poked many tiny ventilation holes into the upper half and the lid with a hot, empty glue gun. Next, I filled the bottom with about three inches of dry, rolled oats (generic oatmeal.) I then spent all of $2.99 on a small container of refrigerated (not vitamin-dusted) mealworms at our local pet supply (ours is PetCo,) sifted out the live ones and dumped them into my ketchup bucket. After adding a slice of raw potato for moisture (they don't need water) I let 'em be.

After about a month, I now have a self-sustaining colony and all the mealworms I need to keep a dozen bantams happy. The only real maintenance involves removing expired and/or excess beetles (and feeding them to the chickens) and replacing the potato slice every few days to keep it from molding. You can use apple slices, too ... but a word of advice ... no bananas. They get REALLY nasty REALLY quickly and the oats get moldy. NASTY!

I only serve mealworms as a treat, so if you want to augment your regular feed, you'll need a bigger set-up (there are lots of ideas here on BYC.) For our little flock of little biddies, the ketchup bottle is working just fine, and is pretty unobtrusive. Of course, it can be really entertaining when your brother goes looking for ketchup and finds something he is TOTALLY unprepared to put on his burger. I wish I'd had a camera for that one!

I did the same as you after buying a couple of oz. for some stupid amount of $.

We used a 1'x2'x10" tub, cut a panel out of the lid & inserted screening. I lined the bottom with Rice Krispies (grandkid visit leftover) oats & some leftover ground flax.

We do feed them banana peels. Turns out you can see the little nits anchored to them. I used the spent peels to throw on top of the compost to clear out the coop so that I can clean it somewhat.

I generally freeze the worms to have on hand whenever wanted/needed