Not sure what others focus on or have concerns about, but thought it might be good to share products/sources, for a few reasons.
#1- we might come across products that others might have never thought/heard of, or be curious about but reluctant to take a chance on. So this is a good way to get honest opinions that don't come from marketers or others with alternative motives (ie "rewards")
#2 - cost- with tariffs looming, A LOT of products are abt to go up, as just abt everything comes from China.
#3 - health/safety of our birds from less strict processing methods.
The first I'll mention is mealworms, the bulk of which come from China. In searching for an alternative, I came across some rather nauseating information. Apparently in the EU & UK, it's against the law to feed chickens mealworms meant to be eaten or their eggs consumed. The reason given is due to the practice of raising the worms on a diet of animal products (carcasses) and the risk that poses of contamination of human food sources. (Just think, some ppl eat those worms.) Oddly enough, the U.S. doesn't have these restrictions.
The same has been true about BFL(Black Fly Larva-also referred to as Calciworms d/t their higher calcium content.) I tried BFL once. They birds rejected them and they smelled horrible, so that was a big no. This may sound odd, but mealworms don't typically have an offensive odor. I've seen it described as hay- not sure I'd agree with that, but it's not bad. But the idea of my birds eating byproduct of carcasses is as off putting as a dog diving into road kill. Might be natural to them, but
I've found 2 companies that offer North American worms raised on food waste from fruits and vegetables instead of tossing in landfills. One is Grubbly's and the other is Chubby's. You have to pay attention to what you're looking at, bc some products are North American/"Homegrown," others are "International" (aka China). When you look at the prices, at first, you will
.
Grubblies are grown in Canada and the U.S. Chubbies are grown in Montreal, which may become an issue if tariffs go through on Canada. Some must have caught on before me, bc I see price increases and supply issues on the sites already.
This was a problem I came across during covid, as well. The dogfood we used was American made, but sourced celery from China. Suddenly the price went up & the supply went down, leaving us scrambling to find a new food that our dog could tolerate. (From birth, one of our dogs - "sensitive stomach" is an inadequate description of what we went through with him.)
I decided to give it a go with Chubby's, and I decided to give BFL a 2nd chance, because they were MUCH cheaper. They are farmed in Montreal So I ordered a little 2lb bag, just to see how it went.
#1- I have never bought dehydrated worms so big and plump.
#2- they don't smell bad at all. They smell just like the mealworms.
#3- the birds went CRAZY over them.
So I placed my second order for 22 lbs of Montreal/North American BFL, and they arrived yesterday with free shipping. Same satisfaction. I pd. $116 for 22 lb in 2 11 lb bags. There's that BUT a 12 lb bag of mealworms at Rural King is $80, and 10 oz. of BFL is $10. I had been getting 11 lb on line for $53, but that's from China, befor the tariff debacle. So even if the cost stays the same, 22 lb = $106 for road kill-eating worms. In that context, I don't feel so bad abt the extra $10! (I can hear @R2elk laughing abt fussing over birds that peck in their own droppings, and to be fair, I don't know what diseases can survive dehydration. But apparently the EU & UK feel some do.)
So, there's an option for you as we face unchartered territories ahead.
#1- we might come across products that others might have never thought/heard of, or be curious about but reluctant to take a chance on. So this is a good way to get honest opinions that don't come from marketers or others with alternative motives (ie "rewards")
#2 - cost- with tariffs looming, A LOT of products are abt to go up, as just abt everything comes from China.
#3 - health/safety of our birds from less strict processing methods.
The first I'll mention is mealworms, the bulk of which come from China. In searching for an alternative, I came across some rather nauseating information. Apparently in the EU & UK, it's against the law to feed chickens mealworms meant to be eaten or their eggs consumed. The reason given is due to the practice of raising the worms on a diet of animal products (carcasses) and the risk that poses of contamination of human food sources. (Just think, some ppl eat those worms.) Oddly enough, the U.S. doesn't have these restrictions.
The same has been true about BFL(Black Fly Larva-also referred to as Calciworms d/t their higher calcium content.) I tried BFL once. They birds rejected them and they smelled horrible, so that was a big no. This may sound odd, but mealworms don't typically have an offensive odor. I've seen it described as hay- not sure I'd agree with that, but it's not bad. But the idea of my birds eating byproduct of carcasses is as off putting as a dog diving into road kill. Might be natural to them, but
I've found 2 companies that offer North American worms raised on food waste from fruits and vegetables instead of tossing in landfills. One is Grubbly's and the other is Chubby's. You have to pay attention to what you're looking at, bc some products are North American/"Homegrown," others are "International" (aka China). When you look at the prices, at first, you will
.Grubblies are grown in Canada and the U.S. Chubbies are grown in Montreal, which may become an issue if tariffs go through on Canada. Some must have caught on before me, bc I see price increases and supply issues on the sites already.
This was a problem I came across during covid, as well. The dogfood we used was American made, but sourced celery from China. Suddenly the price went up & the supply went down, leaving us scrambling to find a new food that our dog could tolerate. (From birth, one of our dogs - "sensitive stomach" is an inadequate description of what we went through with him.)
I decided to give it a go with Chubby's, and I decided to give BFL a 2nd chance, because they were MUCH cheaper. They are farmed in Montreal So I ordered a little 2lb bag, just to see how it went.
#1- I have never bought dehydrated worms so big and plump.
#2- they don't smell bad at all. They smell just like the mealworms.
#3- the birds went CRAZY over them.
So I placed my second order for 22 lbs of Montreal/North American BFL, and they arrived yesterday with free shipping. Same satisfaction. I pd. $116 for 22 lb in 2 11 lb bags. There's that
BUT a 12 lb bag of mealworms at Rural King is $80, and 10 oz. of BFL is $10. I had been getting 11 lb on line for $53, but that's from China, befor the tariff debacle. So even if the cost stays the same, 22 lb = $106 for road kill-eating worms. In that context, I don't feel so bad abt the extra $10! (I can hear @R2elk laughing abt fussing over birds that peck in their own droppings, and to be fair, I don't know what diseases can survive dehydration. But apparently the EU & UK feel some do.)So, there's an option for you as we face unchartered territories ahead.
.because they have regulations in place.
