# Chicken feed for roaches?



## dymndgyrl (Aug 13, 2006)

I read in some other thread that someone was using non-medicated chicken feed for their roaches, with good success, and I thought I might give it a try.

For anyone out there who does this can I get some more details - like what % protein, the "cracked" kind or the kind that's more like powdered mash?
Is it good for any species (ie. B.lateralis)? Do you supplement with fresh veggies?

Also, I think I read that it made the roaches more odorless than, say, dog or cat food. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks!


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## Cirith Ungol (Aug 13, 2006)

I don't know anything about chicken feed, but I'm fairly certain, due to personal experience that it's best to keep the protein below 20% (best at about 17%). If it's higher than that you slowly poison the roaches and you get loads of deaths after some time.

Fresh veggies are never wrong.


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## Rounder (Aug 13, 2006)

I've read about using unmedicated chicken mash, I'm sure it would work.  I thought about getting some.  

However, I really don't think you need to use the stuff.   I've had discoids and I currently have a colony of lobsters.  I use cat food, rice krispies, cheap flake fish food and some bran flakes.  My point is that I think they get enough of what they need out of other common food items.  If you're ultimate goal is "healthier" tarantulas, I think you're better off switching between 2 kinds of prey, like crix and roaches, rather than making sure the roaches are eating some sort of "super food".  

For water I buy the water crystals and I always keep the gel cubes well stocked for them, my roaches are well hydrated.  

I use to give my discoids various kinds of vegetables, just be sure to take them out the next day, otherwise mold sets in very quickly.  

For my lobsters, I don't bother with the veggies, they do well enough w/o them. 

I do think juicy fruits and veggies, especially oranges, would really help to keep them well hydrated.  My discoids use to go bonkers over slices of oranges.

I might mention, my dog gets Nutro brand lamb & rice and thats usually the last thing the roaches touch, they just don't go for it.


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## lychas (Aug 13, 2006)

my lobsters really love crushed dry dog food


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## Rounder (Aug 13, 2006)

lychas said:
			
		

> my lobsters really love crushed dry dog food


Maybe I should try crushing mine, I don't know, but they tear up the cat food and leave the dog food.  

They tear up the fish flakes too, that's the first thing they eat.


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## lychas (Aug 13, 2006)

i'm not sure how much difference it would make, i just cruched it so it would be easyer for them to eat


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## billopelma (Aug 13, 2006)

I have been trying various foods on my roaches over the past year ( B. latteralis, G. portentosa, B. dubia, E. distanti ) and chicken food is one of them as I have chickens and the food is really cheap. While they do eat it and it is probably fine nutritionally, (it's mostly corn) it is one of the least prefered foods I've tried. When I offer both ground dog food (wellness, california gold, I got out of date stuff free) and chicken food, the chicken food doesn't get touched. As far as too much protein, the dog food is over 20% and they've all been eating as much as they want for many months and I have observed no increase in mortality, all four colonies are thriving. 
 If you use chicken food, chick mash would be easier than pelletized or crumble, simply because it's already powder, but yes it comes medicated or non. While I doubt some antibiotics would kill anything, I would certainly get the non medicated type.
 A note on fruits/veggies; I find that they all have different preferences but when they get the same thing for too long they get tired of it and will go for newer offerings first. But given some time they'll go back to liking the 'old' stuff. Or don't feed them for a while and they'll eat anything...

Bill


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## dymndgyrl (Aug 14, 2006)

Actually, one of the reasons I'm considering  chicken feed it is for the value - way cheaper than dogfood OR Rice Krispies, for that matter!

What other inexpensive alternatives are there? I hate spending money on insects that supposedly eat anything 

In the meantime I'll try to find a free source of outdated dog food, but again, is there any difference in the roaches odor in relation to what they eat? There seems to be many opinions on this - some people think they smell, some don't. Most seem to agree that cat food is the worst offender (not to mention too high in protein)


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## Scorp guy (Aug 14, 2006)

I buy a 50 pound bag of chicken feed weekly....depenmding on the type (scratch, meat, layer, etc.) it ranges from $6-$12 but thats where i go...some places (where i live) charge $15-$20 a bag:wall: 

I wonder if it could be used like, after being fed to chickens:?  It gets mixed with water, and seems like it'd work well, or you could water it yourself.


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## Cirith Ungol (Aug 14, 2006)

billopelma said:
			
		

> As far as too much protein, the dog food is over 20% and they've all been eating as much as they want for many months and I have observed no increase in mortality, all four colonies are thriving.


Maybe I should have clarified that bit: The ones I had dying on me in a higher quantity than normal during a time where I fed them high protein food are B.dubia. That's the only species I've tried high protein on also. 
All my colonies now thrive on low protein just fine.


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## OldHag (Aug 14, 2006)

I bought some cricket food once. It looks JUST Like the laying crumbles I feed my hens..... only 200% more expensive. I now just feed my crickets chicken crumbles.


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## Dom (Aug 14, 2006)

billopelma said:
			
		

> As far as too much protein, the dog food is over 20% and they've all been eating as much as they want for many months and I have observed no increase in mortality, all four colonies are thriving.
> Bill


How many months is "many months"?
I've had about a dozen of my female dubia die in less than eight months of being adults (about 10% of my colony). They are supposed to  live 1-2 years after reaching adult-hood.
My lateralis adults are older than my dubia and I've not lost a female yet (most of my males have died but no females).

I'm not sure if its the protien or not but it's a possibility.


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## billopelma (Aug 14, 2006)

> How many months is "many months"?


Probably ~6 months, I would estimate I have 500 or so dubia and have yet to find a dead female. Longer term I couldn't guess, but if it takes longer than that  to happen, roughly extrapolating, it would appear that to get meaningful data would require a year or more feeding low protein then the same for high and then switching to low again to rule out other variables. If anyone can say they've been trying this for those intervals I would then be more apt to take this more seriously...



> I'm not sure if its the protien or not but it's a possibility.


Yes... along with countless other possibilities...

Bill


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