Mealworms are beetle larvae used as bird feed. For the last few years, demand for these worms has been on the rise. A lot of chicken farmers are starting to realize the nutritional benefits they can offer. With the demand up, there has also been a sharp surge in the number of sellers online claiming to offer quality mealworms. However, don’t take their word just like that. Before you buy dried mealworms online, you may want to consider a few things just to be sure they are genuine, safe, and high-quality products.
Here’s a simple guide that can help you with this:
Reputation Is Everything
It’s great to give new suppliers a chance. But when it comes to bird food related products, sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry. Before you buy mealworms online, make sure the seller is a reputable provider. In essence, this should be a company or business that has been supplying mealworms for a long time.
The company should also have a portfolio of clients it has served. The logic behind this is very simple. If a supplier has been offering mealworms online for five or ten years, it means they have been consistent enough with quality to attract more and more people. This is the reason why they have stayed in business for that long.
Reviews and Recommendations
The Internet was meant to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for. Even though to some extent this is true, the massive number of unregulated mealworm sellers makes it harder for you to know which ones can be trusted. Well, there’s one way of deciding. How about getting recommendations from other farmers?
If there’s someone you know who uses mealworms on a regular basis as feed for birds, you can ask them to give you access to their supplier. Also, don’t forget to read reviews online. This is basically the feedback of farmers who have bought mealworms from various suppliers online. They can help you discern quality mealworm providers from the others. Reviews can also help you gather little details about a supplier that will help you know what to expect.
It’s Not About the Money
Running a chicken farm can be hard sometimes. A lot of farmers want to keep the overheads as low as possible. It’s understandable but it should not come at the expense of the birds. You want to give your chicken the best possible care and this will eventually pay off in the long run.
As you start searching for a dried mealworms for sale supplier, don’t focus so much on the price. Look for buyers who can give you the quality you need and then you can talk costs later. The great thing is that many suppliers are open to negotiations, especially if you are ready to order in bulk.
Start Small
The goal for any chicken farmer is to find a long term supplier for their feed. This is how you achieve consistency. But building that level of trust takes time. In that case, instead of just ordering a huge order first, start small. Test a few suppliers before you can commit to a long-term relationship.
There are things to look out during this test phase. For example, how long does it take the supplier to deliver? It should be done as soon as possible. What kind of quality do you get for your money? Is it really worth it? Long term deals are designed to deliver quality mealworms at an affordable cost. But they are not going to come overnight. You will need to work with a few suppliers before finally settling for the long-term deal.
Take Your Time
The Internet has probably thousands of mealworm sellers at the moment. But you only need one or at most two suppliers. You cannot just pick the first one you find. Taking your time to compare various options is highly encouraged. Start by doing a simple search on Google. Once this is done, shortlist at least ten possible suppliers.
Start researching on them. Gather information about pricing, sourcing, and shipping. Also, don’t forget to read reviews. Narrow down the list of ten to three or four. Look at these four options carefully and decide which one delivers the most value for the budget that you have. Taking your time to compare providers can help you save money. It will also give you the chance to learn more about mealworms, where they come from, and the role they can play in your chicken farm.
Dried mealworms are a perfect protein supplement for any chicken. They deliver outstanding nutritional value but you still need to make sure you are buying high-quality products. Although this is never that easy, the tips above should help you determine which suppliers are ideal for your needs.