Should Your Chicken Eat Dried Mealworms?

  • No Comments

Did you say dried mealworms? Shake that mealworm packet at one corner of your yard. What happens? You will realize that chicken will run all the way to the corner you shake the dried mealworms.

Actually, chicken love dried mealworms, and there is no doubt about that.  But are they good for your chicken? The answer is; it depends on the supplier of your dried mealworms.

Always, high quality dried mealworms are expensive but when it comes to the health of your chicken, they are normally the best, and it is worth their price. If you get some like Picky Neb, you will realize a lot from your flock.

The good thing with this type of dried mealworm is that they are 100% not genetically modified, contain a high amount of nutrients and so provide your layers with a boost of protein for increased laying. So, when buying a mealworm for your chicken, ensure that you buy the genuine one from a genuine for better results.

Some people decide to grow their have their own structures to garden worms. They can use to feed their chicken either alive or by drying them depending on their choice and need.  But why should you feed your chicken with dried mealworms?

Below are reasons why you need to feed you chicken with dried mealworms, the amount that you can feed your chicken with and how to spot poor quality mealworms in the market.

Mealworms are good for feathers

Everyone knows that molts deplete the amount of protein from the chicken. The stress of molting takes a lot of protein that is used in replacing the old feathers.

Also, the amount of protein that is used by the body for the maintenance of growth is high, and so, the bird is left with a few proteins which do not support the growth of new feathers.

Your chicken will actually get through the molt but without high protein snacks. They, therefore, need an extra source to get the protein. So, why don’t you supplement them with dried mealworms as a treat to brighten their day?

You are allowed to give them other high protein snacks during this period too, but you need to use common sense. Use your high protein snacks interchangeably. Use one hard-boiled and smashed egg one day and then use dried mealworms the next day and use pumpkin seeds on the other day.

Actually, you need to use a variety to spice up the life of your chicken.

Use as medicine

If your chicken is slowly recovering after a predator attack, the best medicine to use is the dried mealworm to supply some extra protein for faster repair of any damaged tissue. Give your chicken about half a spoon of dried mealworms each day.

You should only avoid this when you realize a damaged kidney in your chicken, but you need to ensure that you keep the protein level at 16-18% layer feed.

A simple treat

Everyone needs to be spoiled at times, and that is the truth, and we are no different from the chicken. They too need to be spoiled at times, and they deserve that for the beautiful eggs and meats that they give us every day.

Actually, there is no problem with treating your chicken in moderation. If you treat them too much, they will gain a lot of weight and become obese, and you know that obese chicken lay fewer eggs and also have a lot of problems with laying eggs.

So, you need to ensure that you keep it moderate. Give them a beakful of dried mealworms twice a week. You need not to give in to the demands of your chicken as they will always want more and more of it.

Feeding tip

For a summer time treat, you can decide to make some ice cube mealworms. You just put a few died mealworms into the ice tray. You can also add in some herbs and grains if you wish and freeze all of them together. You then place them in a pan under the shade, and you will find your chicken busy feeding for some time pecking at those refreshing meal of ice cubed mealworms.

They are actually delicious. You need to try that out with your chicken.

Increase their protein

Dried mealworms are normally packed with high protein content which all living things need. The problem is that too much protein is not healthy. Too much protein can result in kidney problems for your chicken. You, therefore, should moderate the amount of proteins that you give to your chicken.

When dried, mealworms have 50% protein and 30% protein when they are alive. From the health point of view, live mealworms are less worrisome, but the dried ones are also good when they are given with moderation.

Keep them healthy and active

You can let your chicken fetch their proteins by tossing them into the bedding, and you will find them re-arranging the beddings.

Doing that will keep them busy pecking for lifetime as they peck each and every side of the coop in case they missed one before.

There is no problem with that. But is it enjoyable removing all the coop from the house? Or would you risk you, children, to remove and clean the coop from the room?

If you have 20 hens in one room, you can toss in a few coops and scatter them as widely as you can.

Train your chicken

You can train your chicken to do you something amazing by giving them mealworms. Some people have used bribery treats to drive some obstacles or even to correct some anti-social behaviors.

Using mealworms also help to drive your reluctant teenage chicken to the coop. They would rather try to peck the meal out of the coop than to enjoy outside.

Actually, chicken are intelligent as long as they are trained to do something. But for them to do something, they need to be rewarded and treated with something like dried mealworms.

Read more:

About Author

0 Comment