Homemade silkworm chow?

[Nicholashubbs410]

I just discovered that I have access to mulberry leaves. Unfortunately, fall is right around the corner and the leaves will be gone very soon. Does anyone know of a silkworm chow recipe? Or of a way to preserve the leaves through winter?

 

[Spyro]

You can blanch and then freeze in a vacuum bag. But it’s a hit or miss. The chow is made partly of dehydrated mulberry leaf powder, so you could try that.
Or just buy some chow and not worry about it.

 

[nightanole]

Pro tip, silkies hate chow. If your silkies are not raised on chow, they will not eat chow. So make sure your batches are 100% leaves or 100% chow, or you will get a lot of die offs.

What worked once for me was running ALOT of leaves through a food processor so it looked like shredded paper squares, and then instantly vacuum packing them and freezing. They would only each half of it, but they ate it. A storm took down the tree i used, so it was run and grab as many leaves as possible before they started wilting, while trying to find another tree with a person willing to let a crazy person take just the leaves instead of the berries. Pictures of children with lizards helps in negotiations.

 

[Spyro]

Pro tip, silkies hate chow. If your silkies are not raised on chow, they will not eat chow. So make sure your batches are 100% leaves or 100% chow, or you will get a lot of die offs.

This has not been our experience.
if you’re looking to breed them quickly, chow is typically the way to go.

 

[MissSkittles]

I raise and feed my silkies chow and have little to no die off. My latest batch of several hundred and I had 1 die and that was of my fault.

 

[nightanole]

This has not been our experience.
if you’re looking to breed them quickly, chow is typically the way to go.

The ones you start on leaves will readily switch to chow? I just have die offs unless they are half grown and survive the hunger strike.

Ive raise plenty on just chow. And ive raised plenty on just leaves. Ive even hatched them and raised all but the last instar on chow and then switched to leaves. Its only the ones raised on leaves that seem to not want to each the chow.

 

[nightanole]

I raise and feed my silkies chow and have little to no die off. My latest batch of several hundred and I had 1 die and that was of my fault.

I think i was misinterpreted. I too have had greater success hatching with chow. I only have die offs when switching leave hatchers to chow.

 

[MissSkittles]

The ones you start on leaves will readily switch to chow? I just have die offs unless they are half grown and survive the hunger strike.

Ive raise plenty on just chow. And ive raised plenty on just leaves. Ive even hatched them and raised all but the last instar on chow and then switched to leaves. Its only the ones raised on leaves that seem to not want to each the chow.

I believe once you feed them leaves, they won’t accept chow. At least that’s what I’ve read. No mulberry trees near me.

 

[Spyro]

Leaves are just not worth the trouble finding, sanitizing, and feeding and the cleaning out again - even if you do have them available. At some point you’ll introduce a viral or bacterial infection that takes time to get rid of. Or you don’t quite clean the leaves enough and find out there’s pesticides on them as your worms are writhing around spewing green goop. If you haven’t had issues yet, you will at some point.

Chow is cheap and a pound will make up enough prepared chow to raise a ton of worms up to feed off.