Are Meal Worms Really The Best Treats For Your Flock?

Here at Happy Hen Haven, one of our greatest joys in raising chickens are the sights and sounds of excitement coming from the chickens themselves when we give them their daily treats. There are a wide range of treats flock owners give their chickens. Some may give them table scraps, cracked or whole corn, scratch grains, mealworms and even scrambled eggs. Here at The Haven, we have taken an interesting approach to treat time. 

On any given day we give our flock a combination of the aforementioned treats with the exception of one thing. Mealworms! We no longer feed our chickens mealworms. Once you catch your breath from the gasp, take a moment and bear with us as we explain why. 

One of the essential minerals needed for hens to create and lay strong eggs is calcium. Calcium is an essential mineral not only for eggs but for a chickens daily diet. The average egg can have up to 2 grams of calcium. With egg creation taking 50-60% of the daily recommended calcium intake for an egg layer this means she must consume at least 4 grams of calcium daily. Keep in mind, an egg laying hen requires 4-6 times the protein as a non layer. Given this fact, a calcium rich diet is essential if you have a flock of layers. 

Whether you are a small hobby farm with a few feathered pets or a large factory farm, keeping your birds healthy is at the forefront of challenges you face everyday as a flock owner. Intestinal health is a small but essential part of keeping birds healthy. A key compound in preventing intestinal issues in birds is lauric acid. Lauric acid is not found in mealworms.  Well, we’ve pointed out where mealworms lack in areas of providing nutrition for your birds, so what now? Are we suggesting you just stop giving your flock mealworms? No! We are suggesting you replace them with something else. Grubblies! 

Grubblies are black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). What, you ask, are black soldier fly larvae? BSFL’s are insects used to convert food waste into sustainable healthy animal feed. The Grubblies company (Grubbly Farms) partners with local grub farms to source the black soldier fly larvae, setting quality standards, the BSFL are kiln dried, tested for safety, FDA approved and then bagged. Offering the consumer a healthier, sustainable alternative to mealworms. 

Plus, with Grubblies having 50x as much calcium as a mealworm, you can forget about having to give your flock calcium supplements like oyster shells. The Grubblies (black soldier fly larvae) are the only insects in nature with a calcium to phosphorous ratio of 3 to 1. This ratio allows chickens to better absorb the important nutrients they need. This means Grubblies can be a replacement for two expensive commodities you are using everyday with your flock, reducing time and cost. 

And remember earlier in the post we talked about lauric acid? Grubblies has it! And Grubblies are packed with protein! Protein needed for strong protective feathers. And we at Happy Hen Haven can attest to the need for protective feathers in the long cold Midwest winters. Grubblies are a jam packed healthy snack the entire Happy Hen Haven flock LOVE!

Why Grubblies over another brand? There are several companies out there producing grubs from BSFL. A couple we have interacted with and tried. But none of them in our experience have the passion and excitement for bettering not just their customer’s flocks, but the earth itself. Every bag of Grubblies keeps 10 pounds of food waste from entering landfills. And now they are expanding to start using their grubs for creating other pet foods. 

Their efforts are also helping save our oceans. Nearly 10% of fish harvested from the ocean end up in pet and livestock food. So every time you purchase from Grubbly Farms, you are literally helping save the planet! So, if you are considering making a positive change for your flock or the planet, give Grubblies a try. And make sure you tell 'em Happy Hen Haven sent you! Click the link below to support Grubblies and help save the planet!

https://grubblyfarms.com/?rfsn=4185368.6764d2&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=4185368.6764d2