Silkie project 1.0

[Dro B]

Will the chow work for little babies? Or do you have to start them out on leaves?

It's either or. Some people only use chow, some people swear by leaves. The leaves have to be smaller though. It's a safe bet to have both on hand but chow is better because you know for certain they can eat it, which is hard to tell with leaves sometimes.

 

[LoosePin15]

Will the chow work for little babies? Or do you have to start them out on leaves?

I raised this clutch on chow from start to finish. When they're little, I just put some chow in one of the syringe-type things we get with the kids' medicine and put a thin line around them and they ate it up.

 

[LoosePin15]

I'll never understand why peoplease don't use silkworms more often. If you spend a little money on a tree, you get free silkworms forever. They are the easiest feeder to breed bar-none. The smallest egg clutch I've gotten was 200+ and average is 500 with leaves. There's absolutely nothing to it, the moths eclose, pump wings, males will sit there dead as a doorknob until a female ecloses. Within 5 minutes her wings are pumped, she starts calling, and every male within 30 feet is all of a sudden going ape, and she's literally locked up with a male in less than 6 minutes, and a few hours later, she will lay a few hundred eggs, she'll call again, breed for a little longer this time, then lay the rest. I always like to use a different male for the second breeding, and try to let every male in at least one rotation regardless of his size. I just started breeding, I may do a few egg giveaways In the future. I'm hoping to start selling eggs and trees next spring.

Good thought on switching the males. I didn't do that this time around, but it's a great idea.

 

[Dro B]

Good thought on switching the males. I didn't do that this time around, but it's a great idea.

How much chow did it take for how many worms? Sorry if you posted and I missed it.

 

[chamsarecool]

I raise all mine from egg to spinning on chow, too, no issues with it.

 

[Tyrell]

That looks awesome.

 

[LoosePin15]

How much chow did it take for how many worms? Sorry if you posted and I missed it.

I don't think I did post that info...regardless, I went through two small packages (1/2 pound of the powder, I think) from start to finish with the 250 eggs I ordered a while back. I typically order a couple packages at a time to save on shipping and it's really, really easy to make yourself.

 

[ridgebax1]

It could be too dry or too damp, temps etc. How long do you refrigerate them for? Like I said earlier, half my moths laid eggs that were yellow, then they turned white, which usually means they bad/infertile, but after ten or so days, they turned greenish, then dark then gray and hatched without refrigerating them. How do you do everything?

I only got about 50 or so from my last batch of worms so I just have them out to hatch. I did not put them in the fridge at all. I suspect that it is too dry but I cannot figure out how to increase the humidity without risking mold or rot.

 

[Dro B]

I only got about 50 or so from my last batch of worms so I just have them out to hatch. I did not put them in the fridge at all. I suspect that it is too dry but I cannot figure out how to increase the humidity without risking mold or rot.

They have to be refrigerated for about three weeks before they can be hatched, and thats the shortest, Some do a month some do 2 months minimum. If temps are 76 plus and there's 16 plus hours of light and you are feeding leaves you may get non diapause eggs but even then you may not. If the eggs turn dark after about 3 maybe 4 days need cold treatment. If they turn white and appear to shrivel a bit after 5 to 6 days, they are either infertile or will turn dark after a week or so hatch in about 10 to 14 after bieng laid, but like I said the conotions have to be right for that.