Melanie's Mealworms

A warm welcome to all backyard chicken farmers, fishermen, wild bird enthusiasts, and pet lizard parents!

My mealworms are fed a well-rounded diet of bran, oatmeal, carrots, cucumbers, apples, bird seed, and other wholesome foods. Their habitats are kept dark, clean, warm, humid, and well-ventilated. My mealworms aren't just healthy, they're happy, too!

Mealworms are a great SNACK for backyard chickens, especially chicks. However, you need to offer them in moderation because mealworms are very high in protein (14-25%). This is why they are essential to growing chicks that are 3 weeks and older, egg-laying hens, and chickens that are molting. When feeding to chicks, provide grit as well to help their gizzard break down the mealworm.

Mealworms should only make up 10% of an adult chicken's daily diet, so four to five mealworms should suffice. However, molting chickens can handle more protein and chicks need all the protein they can get, so you can be more generous in these instances. Just be sure to supervise to make sure mama hen isn't eating too many as she teaches the chicks to catch and eat the mealworms.

Again, please use discretion when feeding mealworms to your chicks, hens, and roosters. While mealworms are excellent for egg-laying hens, too much of a good thing will make their eggshells thin and fragile.

Mealworms are also a good source of copper, potassium, sodium, and selenium.

* Take note that my large mealworms are not the same as superworms. Superworms are LOW in PROTEIN and HIGH in FAT, fiber, and calcium. They also deliver a painful pinch and cannot be refrigerated. It's easy to spot the difference between superworms and mealworms. In addition to being about an inch longer with a harder exoskeleton, a superworm's body is dark brown with black spots at each end.

I'd also like to state that I have no chickens or water foul on my property, so you can rest assured that there's no threat of passing bird flu on to your flock.

Mealworms are excellent to use as bait, dead or alive; however, it's best to put them on the hook when they're still kicking. Their bright color helps them stand out in murky water. They are also buoyant, so it's easy to keep your eye on them.

Mealworms are known to be irresistible to trout, but bass, crappie, and even perch are attracted to mealworms, too. Pretty much any fish that enjoys feasting on worms and larvae will go after a mealworm.

If you have pet lizards, they'll love Melanie's Mealworms!

Thanks for visiting my shop and I hope you have a wonderful day!