Maggots (1 Viewer)

Laurab · Jun 26, 2004

OK, PEOPLE SO WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON FEEDING WILD BIRDS MAGGOTS?IS IT SAFE TO DO SO?....READ SOMEWHERE THEY CARRY BOTULISM...THE LAST THING I WANT TO GIVE THEM! (OTHER SITES HAVE PROMOTED FEEDING THEM)
ALSO, FISHING TACKLE SHOPS COLOUR THEM..RAINBOW MAGGOTS... mmmh....IS THE DYE OR WHATEVER THEY USE POISONOUS.
I USUALLY TREAT MY BIRDIES WITH MEALWORMS AND I'M TRYING TO BREED MY OWN SUPPLY, BUT IT'S A SLOW BUSINESS. I CONSIDERED FEEDING MAGGOTS MAY BE ANOTHER FOOD OPTION.
LOTS OF ANSWERS PLEASE... :stuck: DON'T LET ME KILL THE BIRDS I'M TRYING TO HELP.
LAURA

Anthony Morton · Jun 26, 2004

Laurab said:
OK, PEOPLE SO WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON FEEDING WILD BIRDS MAGGOTS?IS IT SAFE TO DO SO?....READ SOMEWHERE THEY CARRY BOTULISM...THE LAST THING I WANT TO GIVE THEM! (OTHER SITES HAVE PROMOTED FEEDING THEM)
ALSO, FISHING TACKLE SHOPS COLOUR THEM..RAINBOW MAGGOTS... mmmh....IS THE DYE OR WHATEVER THEY USE POISONOUS.
I USUALLY TREAT MY BIRDIES WITH MEALWORMS AND I'M TRYING TO BREED MY OWN SUPPLY, BUT IT'S A SLOW BUSINESS. I CONSIDERED FEEDING MAGGOTS MAY BE ANOTHER FOOD OPTION.
LOTS OF ANSWERS PLEASE... :stuck: DON'T LET ME KILL THE BIRDS I'M TRYING TO HELP.
LAURA

Hi Laura,

If you follow a couple of simple rules, maggots are safe to feed to wild birds - and much less expensive than mealworms or waxworms too!

1. Use ONLY white maggots and not those which have been dyed.

2. DO NOT feed them while the black food sac is still visible under the maggot's skin. It will disappear naturally if they are kept for a few days.

3. Keep the maggots in sawdust or bran in a sealed container with air-holes in the lid. If they are refrigerated they will last much longer before turning into crysalis, which can still be fed to the birds.

4. Obtain your maggots from your local fishing tackle shop - they are usually sold by the pint.

stevo · Jun 26, 2004

Also one our banner advertisers CJ Wildbird foods supplies them.

Regards Steve.

Laurab · Jun 26, 2004

stevo said:
Also one our banner advertisers CJ Wildbird foods supplies them.

Regards Steve.

Thanks for replying so promptly, don't seem to be able to find them on CJ's website?

Laurab · Jun 26, 2004

Thanks Anthony,
I'm sure the fishies in the local pond will enjoy the more colourful wrigglers in my trial pot.

pete1950 · Jun 26, 2004

stevo said:
Also one our banner advertisers CJ Wildbird foods supplies them.

Regards Steve.

I've just checked the CJ site, there's no mention of Maggots.

I've always been told not to feed Maggots because they are fed on animal carcases and as such can carry parthogens like Salmonella which can be harmfull to birds.

Anthony Morton · Jun 26, 2004

pete1950 said:
I've just checked the CJ site, there's no mention of Maggots.

I can't find them in the CJ WildBird Food 2004 Spring Collection catalogue either, probably because the carriage charges would be more than the cost of the maggots I suppose.

I've always been told not to feed Maggots because they are fed on animal carcases and as such can carry parthogens like Salmonella which can be harmfull to birds.

This is why maggots to be fed to birds should be kept for a few days until all traces of the clearly visible black food sac inside them has disappeared, as it contains the remains of their last meal.

Laurab · Jun 27, 2004

Is It Ok To Feed The Maggots Bran Over The Next Few Days, I Assume Any Nasty's In The Food Sac Will Be Excreted During This Time Or Should I Just Starve 'em!!
Thanks To All Who Replied.

stevo · Jun 27, 2004

Hi everyone the reason why you can`t find maggots listed on the CJ Wildbird food site is because they`re listed by their correct name MEALWORMS.Scroll down the list & click on live foods.They even do mini mealworms suitable for feeding young birds.As long as the worms are kept in a cool dark place & checked regularly for dead ones then they should last a while.

Regards Steve.

pete1950 · Jun 27, 2004

This is why maggots to be fed to birds should be kept for a few days until all traces of the clearly visible black food sac inside them has disappeared, as it contains the remains of their last meal.[/QUOTE]

That clears that up. Thanks. Oh a side effect is cheaper feed bills.

Anthony Morton · Jun 27, 2004

stevo said:
Hi everyone the reason why you can`t find maggots listed on the CJ Wildbird food site is because they`re listed by their correct name MEALWORMS.Scroll down the list & click on live foods.They even do mini mealworms suitable for feeding young birds.As long as the worms are kept in a cool dark place & checked regularly for dead ones then they should last a while.

Regards Steve.

Steve,

I'm sorry, but mealworms and maggots are not the same thing. Mealworms are the larvae of a beetle, whereas maggots are the larvae of a fly - often the bluebottle.

Anthony Morton · Jun 27, 2004

Laurab said:
Is It Ok To Feed The Maggots Bran Over The Next Few Days, I Assume Any Nasty's In The Food Sac Will Be Excreted During This Time Or Should I Just Starve 'em!!
Thanks To All Who Replied.

Hi Laura,

Don't worry, the maggots will not eat the bran as it's used only to keep them clean and dry, especially if they are kept in a fridge. You can use sawdust if you prefer but their container needs air-holes, otherwise they will suffocate. Maggots do not eat again once they have dropped off the food source, which is usually meat of fish.

Mealworms on the other hand do need a constant supply of bran to feed on.

stevo · Jun 27, 2004

Sorry Anthony I take your point,it`s just that i`ve used mealworms for a number of years to feed birds & primates(zoo keeping) without any harmful effects & never really thought of feeding maggots to birds.

Regards Steve.

Anthony Morton · Jul 1, 2004

The following is not the result of a scientific survey and is offered purely for comparison purposes.

Fishing tackle shops currently sell maggots at between £2 - 00 and £3 - 00 per pint and in the UK they can only be sold in a rigid container, such as a bait box. They cost £2 - 40 per pint locally. I'm told that a pint of maggots weighs approximately 300g and contains some 3,000+ maggots, but before anyone asks; no, I haven't counted them!

However, I do think that the price of maggots compares very favourably with mealworms and waxworms for example.

Don't forget, feed white maggots only, not ones that have been colour-dyed, and wait until the black food sac has completely disappeared, which is usually a few days at most.

GAZ · Jul 5, 2004

HI FOLKS
I am fairly new to birding but have been doing some volunteer work at a local country park and after talking to one of the rangers I was told the following

Chicks and young birds still have developing intestinal tracts which are not capable of digesting maggots quickly. So maggots can survive in the stomach - and will try and eat its way out!!! So while it may be safe to feed maggots to adults whilst they are rearing chicks is it wise to feed maggots ??

Andrew · Jul 5, 2004

Being an ex-angler, some comments make me laugh like waiting for the food sac to disappear. I like them to have the food sac as that means it is as fresh as possible. Never done the birds any harm either. Just wanted to share something interesting . . . I used to keep all my maggotts for the bird table, even the mixed ones, and the garden Robin would only take the whites leaving the rest for the Sparrows! Nature knows best, eh?

Another thing, you can buy various maggotts so if you are buying a lot for passrines I would advise you to ask for PINKIES when going to a tackle shop. These are much smaller, about half size, and easier to swallow. The real rub for us humans is they last forever in a cool spot or a fridge so therefore very much cheaper! :t: They are not dyed pink, they are called Pinkies as when fresh they are very white but turn pink with age.

pete1950 · Jul 5, 2004

After mulling over the possible consequenses of feeding Maggots, I have decided to hang the expense and err on the side of caution by sticking to Mealworms. At least without any scientific evidence regarding the safety of Maggots I know for sure Mealworms are safe.

Marsue · Aug 19, 2004

Young birds and maggots

Sorry folks but this is a sad anti-maggot story.
Since Monday I have been feeding an orphaned house martin, who, by yesterday afternoon was doing remarkably well on what insects, pond skaters, water shrimps,scrambled eggs, cat food that we could find, but we found it hard to maintain the volume needed. After reading a factsheet from the RSPB we travelled a 60 mile round trip to find mealworm, waxworm and other named insect mixes to feed "Harry" on. After visiting 2 megastore pet shops I was unable to buy any of the named products and was advised to feed maggots. So back to our local fishing tackle shop where we bought a small amount of white maggots, with positive feedback from the owner to feed the bird on these.

On our return home the HM was lively, trying out his wings, climbing out from his homemade nest and eager to take the maggots. We were pleased with ourselves for the effort that we had taken. Within ½hr he was lethargic and unresponsive and by mid evening he was dead. We were very upset at this outcome and the feeling of killing the poor creature were overwhelming.
PLEASE DO NOT FEED YR YOUNG BIRDS MAGGOTS AND THINK BEFORE YOU FEED THEM TO OTHER BIRDS. STICK TO THE MEALWORMS, IF YOU CAN BUY THEM!

Elizabeth Bigg · Aug 19, 2004

Marsue said:
Sorry folks but this is a sad anti-maggot story.
Since Monday I have been feeding an orphaned house martin, who, by yesterday afternoon was doing remarkably well on what insects, pond skaters, water shrimps,scrambled eggs, cat food that we could find, but we found it hard to maintain the volume needed. After reading a factsheet from the RSPB we travelled a 60 mile round trip to find mealworm, waxworm and other named insect mixes to feed "Harry" on. After visiting 2 megastore pet shops I was unable to buy any of the named products and was advised to feed maggots. So back to our local fishing tackle shop where we bought a small amount of white maggots, with positive feedback from the owner to feed the bird on these.

On our return home the HM was lively, trying out his wings, climbing out from his homemade nest and eager to take the maggots. We were pleased with ourselves for the effort that we had taken. Within ½hr he was lethargic and unresponsive and by mid evening he was dead. We were very upset at this outcome and the feeling of killing the poor creature were overwhelming.
PLEASE DO NOT FEED YR YOUNG BIRDS MAGGOTS AND THINK BEFORE YOU FEED THEM TO OTHER BIRDS. STICK TO THE MEALWORMS, IF YOU CAN BUY THEM!

There are several companies who supply them by mail order, and if you order by 11am they'll be posted out First Class that same day - then its up to the Royal Mail.

Paul G · Aug 19, 2004

Hmmmm.................

Touchy subject but........What happens in the wild ???? Animal dies.......flies lay eggs in dead body..............hey presto a couple of days later Maggots.........birds eat maggots......surely the birds know by now what is safe to eat and what is not ?

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