Maggot farming is becoming extremely popular among many poultry farmers. They have resorted to this practice as a way of minimizing expenditure caused by increased feed prices.
Some who have zero knowledge about the process of making maggots in their homestead, find themselves forking huge sums of money purchasing these tiny useful organisms.
Maggots are so nutritious to chickens since they produce high-level proteins required for egg production.
What are maggots
Maggots are larvae that are hatched from the common soldier fly eggs. They evolve in the process where soldier flies lay eggs and hatch maggots before growing into adults.
Maggots are also known as GRUBS, and they can grow from 3 to 12 mm. There are different types of maggots some are white, yellow, and the most popular ones which are brown in colour.
In addition, numerous research has shown maggots are a good replacement for soybeans which are the major ingredient in commercial feeds.
Key Steps to follow for successful maggots production
Feeding your birds with black soldier maggots is easy and economical since they provide fats and necessary proteins for chicken development.
I know most people tend to set a picture of dead and rotten carcasses with house flies and maggots feeding from them.
Yes, it’s actually possible to make maggots from house flies, but you see the problem with this method is, the transmission of diseases, bad smell, and an uncontrollable infestation of flies.
The best solution is to source soldier flies that feed on a regular compost pile, and since they don’t need carcasses to feed on, then the occurrence of diseases is zero.
Moreover, soldier fly maggots are easier to harvest while adult flies are not distractive to humans. pheromone produced by the adult helps to keep away house flies from your household.
Below are steps you must follow to produce maggots in your household successfully. As earlier mentioned, before you start anything, make sure to purchase soldier fly maggots from maggots farmers, otherwise, how will you be able to make them?
Make a container for breeding
You must build the container in such a way, they can not escape. While also the compost pile used should not be open at the bottom.
If making a container is too much work or complicated you can purchase biopod
near you, and by the way, it’s the best suited for this activity.
Put a ramp around the container for maggots to climb freely. The next step is to drill a hole through the ramp where adults will be moving out of the pile and up the ramp.
When harvesting them, you can put the container in the Chicken coop to be eaten when they get out, or simply you can put a bucket below the hole to collect them when they fall.