With the high price of animal feed, growing maggots is beginning to make sense. Maggots come from flies. When flies lay eggs, the eggs pass through several stages before they turn into flies. One of the stages is the maggot stage.
You can use the maggot to feed fish, chickens and other animals. I’m targeting fish and chickens but I’ll be starting with chickens.

Growing The Maggots
To grow maggot, you need cheap inputs like manure, kitchen waste and sawdust or rice hull. I mixed rice hull with manure (my layers’ droppings) in a bowl (let’s call this growing bowl) and added just enough water to make it moist but not wet. I then mix thoroughly and placed some kitchen waste on this mixture to attract a lot of flies. You can use soup, fruits or anything that will attract a lot of flies. I used my dog’s leftover garri balls mixed with soup.

After the flies have finished laying their eggs. cover the bowl with something and place under a shaded area. Protect it from ants, lizards, chickens etc. I used chicken wire to cover them and finally cover with zinc. The chicken wire will prevent lizards and the zinc will stop chickens. I placed the growing bowls on a raised platform. The little kerosene I sprayed on the platform will stop ants. In few hours time you’ll see some small maggots. Leave them for 5 days before you harvest.

Harvesting
Spread net over a bowl (harvesting bowl).

Place the maggot-filled substrate on the net. Spread it thinly so that they can’t hide under. Fear of light will make them to force themselves through the tiny holes in the net.

Harvest was bountiful. It makes sense to do this large scale.

To process, I poured very hot water on them. This will kill every germs in it and makes it more digestible. I left if in the hot water for a while before draining.

Then I spray it on a net to dry.

I’m looking forward to do this in a larger scale. Some people travel all the way to Songhai farm, Benin Republic to learn this among other things.
Now I’ve tried it and saw the harvest, I strongly believed it will be profitable. Fly is free and everywhere.

Just thinking – In a war situation, isn’t this a very good source of super cheap protein?

Much more practical details here: Growing Maggot for Animal Feed: My Little Experiment

you are right farm tech, maggots can be substituted for soybeans in animal feed. consider defatting it. so that it will contain pure protein.

bamdexfarms:
you are right farm tech, maggots can be substituted for soybeans in animal feed. consider defatting it. so that it will contain pure protein.

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How do u defat it?

FarmTech:

Just thinking – In a war situation, isn’t this a very good source of super cheap protein?

Much more practical details here: Growing Maggot for Animal Feed: My Little Experiment

Thank you so much, FarmTech. I find this post extremely useful.

Dats kul buh
D maggot stuff

FarmTech:
To process, I poured very hot water on them. This will kill every germs in it and makes it more digestible. I left if in the hot water for a while before draining.

this is d part I was waiting for. last week in my project, I even planned to oven dry d maggot n store in sacks. germs could come in if care isn't taken. maggots are excellent fish foods.

You're all wlcm. Does anyone do this in larger scale?

FarmTech:

Just thinking – In a war situation, isn’t this a very good source of super cheap protein?

Much more practical details here: Growing Maggot for Animal Feed: My Little Experiment

yea ...war sits people eat cockroaches n some funny insects to survive. n besides people eat diff kind of maggots from oil palm trees , millipede like stuffs , grasshoppers etc.

Babacele:
yea ...war sits people eat cockroaches n some funny insects to survive. n besides people eat diff kind of maggots from oil palm trees , millipede like stuffs , grasshoppers etc.

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Any non-poisonous thing goes. I think maggot is far cheaper to produce in reasonable qty than catching roaches or milipede-like stuffs.

FarmTech:

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Any non-poisonous thing goes. I think maggot is far cheaper to produce in reasonable qty than catching roaches or milipede-like stuffs.

u are correct.

@farmtech, wow! Thanks, the info is priceless

Juliana7:
@farmtech, wow! Thanks, the info is priceless

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Wlcm. I started a second batch yesterday.

FarmTech:

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Wlcm. I started a second batch yesterday.

Great work! I love this.

FarmTech:

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Wlcm. I started a second batch yesterday.

lt is a good supplement. With the how-to-do it steps you have posted, anyone can try it.

Woa! This is nice... Cat fish rearers have a lot to gain here

wonderful thank you for sharing

wonderful thank you for sharing.

@Farmtech,

This is admirable. You can also try it with Black Solder Fly (BSF), the flies do not have mouth openings and are therefore considered more sterile (safer) and non disease transmitting.

midastouch:
@Farmtech,

This is admirable. You can also try it with Black Solder Fly (BSF), the flies do not have mouth openings and are therefore considered more sterile (safer) and non disease transmitting.

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You're all wlcm.

I've come across articles on black soldier flies, but mainly from white men. Are these flies in Africa?

Pavore9:
lt is a good supplement. With the how-to-do it steps you have posted, anyone can try it.

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Correct. It is a supplement. U can't just feed an animal only maggots and expect gud result. Diets have to be balanced for good result. It's very easy to do, but people that lack knowledge may be looking at u as if you're crazy. So anyone who will try this shud be mentally prepared for that.

[b]Update: [/b]I finally dry the maggots under the sun. It took 2 days to dry very well.

The dry maggots weigh 109 grams.

why should it be defatted?

bamdexfarms:
you are right farm tech, maggots can be substituted for soybeans in animal feed. consider defatting it. so that it will contain pure protein.

FarmTech:
After the flies have finished laying their eggs. cover the bowl with something and place under a shaded area. Protect it from ants, lizards, chickens etc. I used chicken wire to cover them and finally cover with zinc. The chicken wire will prevent lizards and the zinc will stop chickens. I placed the growing bowls on a raised platform. The little kerosene I sprayed on the platform will stop ants. In few hours time you’ll see some small maggots. Leave them for 5 days before you harvest.

Harvesting
Spread net over a bowl (harvesting bowl).

Nice write up and pics. How long does one need to wait for the flies to finish laying before covering up the growing bowl?

Bice job sir

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