Feeding Chickens Maggots

[Creature Meadow]

Lot of knowledge out here so thought I would throw this out there.

Do any of you have a maggot farm for feeding your chickens?

I'm looking at ideas on how to build one, seems simple enough but was hoping for some do's and dont's from you that have one.

Mine will hang over the chicken pen in the corner and the yummy protein will fall on the ground for my birds to eat.

If you have pics please share. I'll do the same if this thread sparks interest.

The basics will be a bucket with lid, small holes in bottom, mesh, gravel and straw. Old tube with holes drilled in it placed inside around perimeter of bucket and out the side near the top. The lid will have a container mounted to it with holes drilled in it for the flies to enter and down into the bucket.

Presto the old meat on top of the straw will be the attractant for the flies and the maggots will grow and crawl out the tube and fall to the ground.

Sounds simple enough will be working on this soon, will await to hear any ideas ya'll have on how to improve. I've watched quiet a few you tube videos on it and the above seems to be the norm.

Thanks for your time.
Jay

 

[SidecarFlip]

Candidly, only maggots I know have 2 legs and I could feed them to something, no issue.

Aren't maggots flies in the pupa stage?

 

[Creature Meadow]

The life cycle below.

The life cycle of a fly begins with the egg. The female house fly can lay anywhere from 75 to 150 eggs in a batch. ... It is during this stage that the white, characterless maggot begins to take the form of an adult fly. The pupal stage lasts four to six days in warm temperatures.

 

[sheepfarmer]

The life cycle below.

The life cycle of a fly begins with the egg. The female house fly can lay anywhere from 75 to 150 eggs in a batch. ... It is during this stage that the white, characterless maggot begins to take the form of an adult fly. The pupal stage lasts four to six days in warm temperatures.

Did you mean to leave out the various larval stages (instars) that are the maggots? Then they pupate, and are in a cylindrical case, and develop the features of an adult fly, metamorphosis like butterflies.

Your chickens would be likely to find the last instars because they stop feeding and wander, thus falling out of the funnel.

 

[skeets]

I never heard of anything like that before,,,then there are a lot of things I never heard of,,, along that vein when I did have blue birds around, I would go to the feed store and get the droppings from feed. It was amazing how many mealworms there were in the sweepings. and put that into an old shallow bowl, blue birds ate the snot out of them, and I had some left over for fishing,, just a thought

 

[Tim Horton]

Yes it will work.
I'm suspecting a Google of the subject will get you a wealth of good info on how to do it.

However.... I suspect there is a fine line of making it work well, keeping to stocked with road kill or the like, and not letting it turn into a fly hatchery or stinky air machine.

I suggested it and my sweetie ABSOLUTELY refused the idea.
Oh well.

 

[Creature Meadow]

Did you mean to leave out the various larval stages (instars) that are the maggots? Then they pupate, and are in a cylindrical case, and develop the features of an adult fly, metamorphosis like butterflies.

Your chickens would be likely to find the last instars because they stop feeding and wander, thus falling out of the funnel.

Sheep, was keeping it simple sidecarflip ask a questions so I just copy and paste from a google search.

As always thank you for your insight, you too have a diverse wealth of knowledge.

 

[Creature Meadow]

I never heard of anything like that before,,,then there are a lot of things I never heard of,,, along that vein when I did have blue birds around, I would go to the feed store and get the droppings from feed. It was amazing how many mealworms there were in the sweepings. and put that into an old shallow bowl, blue birds ate the snot out of them, and I had some left over for fishing,, just a thought

My mom raised meal worms for years to feed the blue birds and a treat for the chickens.

What I like about the maggots is little work, dump in the meat and presto. Self feeder

I have a just turned 4 year old so I'd rather spend time with her than messing with the meal worms and I don't have a good place in the house to raise them in the winter. My mom used an extra bedroom and that did well for her.

 

[Creature Meadow]

Yes it will work.
I'm suspecting a Google of the subject will get you a wealth of good info on how to do it.

However.... I suspect there is a fine line of making it work well, keeping to stocked with road kill or the like, and not letting it turn into a fly hatchery or stinky air machine.

I suggested it and my sweetie ABSOLUTELY refused the idea.
Oh well.

Yes I would like to make in efficient and lucky for me the pen is not near the house, bout a 100 yds away. Just added 9 new layers, producing well even for winter.

My daughter and I collect and sell the eggs. It is easy all my customers are at work so I deliver on Thursdays. They return the cartons when I deliver the eggs to there offices. I get $5.00 a dozen and have a waiting list of new clients. Will add more layers in the spring to meet demands. The money goes into Ella's college savings and teaches her responsibility. Win win!

 

[skeets]

5 bucks a dozen wow you got a good thing going on there my friend, and I know you get nothing out of it, and all of that goes into the munchkins piggy bank for collage.

 

[D2Cat]

I live in a depressed market, eggs are $2 a dozen. I pick them up from the lady at the feed store, or the local hardware store!

 

[RCW]

5 bucks a dozen wow you got a good thing going on there my friend

I live in a depressed market, eggs are $2 a dozen. I pick them up from the lady at the feed store, or the local hardware store!

Marketed as Organic (local) are about $3 here. Others less - $2 like 'Cat.

My concern that kind of "self-generator-feeder" here would be a draw for other critters. Just having the birds is draw enough...I don't try to generate flies..we have enough already.

I can see raccoons, skunks, weasels, fishers, etc. trying to get into it. If they get that far, will they be going after my chickens next?

Just a thought.

 

[dlundblad]

Never thought of doing something like this. Good idea.

I had chickens as a kid and had a 2.5 acre bug light inside their 150x70' pen. They'd run out to that thing every morning and pick the area clean.

 

[Vincecj]

I live in a depressed market, eggs are $2 a dozen. I pick them up from the lady at the feed store, or the local hardware store!

I'm charging £1.25/half dozen for free range eggs.

 

[Creature Meadow]

New chickens doing well, and client list growing. Sold 5 dozen yesterday $25.00 to Ella's college savings.

Good friends with local grocery store owner. Talked with them over weekend and now Mon, Wed, and Fri stop by and pick up grocery cart of veggies to feed chickens. Same things I buy just with expired dates on them. First batch of 20 pounds on Monday lot of it looked good enough to eat, wow the waste!

Getting more chickens in the spring cannot meet demand with current flock.

My customers are great and look forward to delivery Thursday at work, money always hid in there office for me to get, cartons returned, and a thank you when I see them in the hallways. One customer visiting a friend this weekend ordered extra dozen to carry to her to share the goodness of fresh eggs.

Blessed!

Have a good day OTT time to get ready for work.

Jay

 

[skeets]

Yes Sir I get them from the feed store, a guy stopped in 2 years ago and asked the owner if he could sell some eggs there. Owner said sure, well long story short, you now have to call the feed store to see if they HAVE any eggs. Word gets out and yep way better than store bought eggs, I cant tell you how many with double yokes we get. Bad thing is when a hobby turns into a job its no longer fun, like it was with dads bees