If you would rather watch it than read it; I can relate. Everything is in the video below. You’re welcome;)

I am always trying to cut costs on the homestead. One way I do this is by raising meal worms to feed to my chickens. Chickens need grains, greens and protein(insects). Think of what prairie chickens would eat. An easy way to give them needed protein is to feed them meal worms and it is so easy.

Things you will need:

• glass aquarium with mesh lid
• 5lbs wheat bran(from feed store or grocery store)
• 100 live meal worms(from feed store, pet store or online reptile supplier)
• A bit of potato, melon or other veggie scrape for moisture
• A sheltered dry place(maybe on top of your dryer like me)

I started by using an old fish aquarium that I had in my garage. Many people use a 3 drawer stacking system, but I like to keep things simple. You will need a lid for your tank. I had one with a grate type design from the time my son begged me to keep a lizard for a while. From my local feed store I purchased 100 meal worms and 5lbs of wheat bran. I dumped the wheat bran in and poured the meal worms on top. They will live in the wheat bran and eat it! Place some empty toilet paper rolls or paper bags for them to shelter in and then wait. The warmer it is and the more worms you start with, the quicker this process will be.

Warning: At the feed store they asked me if I wanted giant meal worms?  It is tempting to start with the giant meal worms they offer because we all think bigger is better, right? Not in this case, apparently these super huge meal worms have been treated with some sort of hormone and will be completely sterile.

Because meal worms need a dry temperate climate, I put mine on top of the clothes dryer, that way they would be cozy and no one would see them except family.(giving strict instructions NOT to open the curtain when my Mother-in-Law came over) She is not a big bug fan. Ironically, I remember, I bought these starter worms with some of my Christmas money she had given me. Only a homesteader buys herself worms for Christmas. Hee hee! Share with us in the comments; what homesteading thing have you asked for or bought for Christmas that might give some people pause?

Dropping a few slices of potato or cucumber, whatever you have on hand , every few days is all the worms need for moisture. Those worms quickly turned into larvae.

After a few weeks those larvae turned into beetles and, from what I have read,each beetle laid about 300 eggs each! Not to worry they don’t bite, scratch or sting! Another few weeks and we had tiny baby meal worms squirming around.

Pretty soon I had more than enough larvae to harvest for my chickens. I get about a cup per week.  Remember to step up the veggies for moisture in the hot summer months.  I just scoop some out; worms, beetles and all, sift it in a colander and dump it out for my hens. Not everyone could get that up close and personal with bugs, but I just see free food for my chickens. Cha-ching!

Chickens will do ANYTHING for meal worms! THEY LOVE THEM!!!

In the Spring & Fall I sift out that amazing fertilizer for my garden!

Meal worm frass is amazing fertilizer! This is a bloom maker folks!

• contain 4 times the available nitrogen compared to other fertilizers
• plus other important nutrients such as phosphorus and iron
• Here is a break down of the nutrients in meal worm frass:  mealworm castings , — Nitrogen-4.17% Phosphorus-2.70% Potash-1.64% Sodium-62.9mg/100gms Iron-26.5mg/100gms. PH is 7.25—

I simply scooped the contents onto the screen and let the frass(meal worm castings) slip through to a bin underneath. By the way this frass is good stuff. You want your tomato plants to bloom in spring? Apply a little meal worm frass= blooms galore! I add it as a top dressing to all my pots and raised beds. It is perfect for your vegetable garden! You will be using only ¼ of these castings for the nitrogen value compared to regular commercial fertilizers! Extremely cost-efficient! Recommended applications for lawns are between 10-20 lbs per 1000 square feet. Plants (indoor-outdoor), flowers, grass, soil rejuvenation or other fertilizer applications. Take one or two teaspoonful for plant or flower use, sprinkle evenly then water. For best results mix with soil.

If your still not convinced: Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous (plant-eating) insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts.It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundantamoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi content. Frass is a microbial inoculant, also known as a soil inoculant, that promotes plant health using beneficial microbes.

So to sum up; Get meal worms! They are great for your chickens and their waste is even better for your garden! Hear me when I say: BLOOM STIMULATOR! Who doesn’t want that?

Happy Homesteading! Remember, scroll down & let us know in the comments what homestead thing you bought with your Christmas/Birthday money that “normal people” would not buy;) Dash & family