Black soldier fly larvae pique especially interest in backyard chicken keepers of days. Though to feathery buddies, mounds of wriggly food seem terrific, to humans they might not appeal. Is the frenzy real, or merely another trend driven by stupidity? Watch closely the clucking around the actual farmers are doing. Click our recommended reading about this page!
Love of chicken first of all BSFL. Throw some into the run; the squawks, flaps, and pecking frenzy that results is like ringing the dinner bell at a bar. “My hens would perform backflips for them,” says third generation Kentucky farmer Jen. Many report that finicky eaters who turn their beaks up at pellets or table scraps go crazy for these larvae.
Let us now go over nutrition as taste is not the only factor taken into account. Typically running between 35 and 42%, BSFL is high in protein. Mealworms fall between 20 to 25%, so farmers refer to them as “chicken rocket fuel.” Still another bonus is high calcium. A normal BSFL snack has a calcium to phosphorous ratio considerably more in line with what chickens require for eggshell strength.
Practicality rules, so sourcing and pricing in chicken forums become really important. Dried BSFL won’t go bad fast, and bags are easy to maintain; no more fishy-smelling treats or refrigerator full leftovers. Some growers even raise their own larvae from leftover food. Just eggs; nothing at all wasted here. Breakfast calls for locally grown eggs after feeding your birds your kitchen peelings. There is a certain poetic appeal in this.
Will kitchen trash and mealworms replace chicken treat royalty? That is a hotly contested issue. Clearly, BSFL has strutted its way onto the must try list for flocks all over listening to farmers at fairs or on the internet. Perhaps it is time to change the snack calendar if your hens are not doing barrel rolls during reward time. Just be careful: hens pointed toward the next BSFL feast might begin to follow you about when you open that bag.