If you keep chickens, sooner or later you end up staring at two bags wondering which one to buy: dried mealworms or dried black soldier fly larvae. We sell both, we feed both, and customers ask us to compare them constantly. So this is the honest version.
The short answer
Mealworms bring more protein. Black soldier fly larvae bring far more calcium. Chickens will happily demolish either one, so palatability is a tie, and both carry natural fats that help birds hold their body heat through a Canadian winter.
When mealworms make sense
Reach for mealworms when your birds are moulting. Feathers are mostly protein, and moulting hens rebuild noticeably faster with the extra boost. They are also the better pick for conditioning young or underweight birds, and if you feed wild birds, reptiles or fish on the side, mealworms are the treat almost every animal accepts without hesitation.
When black soldier fly larvae win
If you keep laying hens, BSFL deserve a spot in your routine. The calcium content is many times higher than mealworms, and calcium is exactly what a hen needs to build a strong shell. Customers who were finding soft or thin shells in the nesting box often see the difference within a few weeks of adding larvae. Young, growing birds benefit too, since that same calcium goes into bone development.
What we actually recommend
Most experienced flock owners we talk to end up using both. Mealworms as the everyday treat, larvae layered in during laying season or whenever shell quality dips. There is no rule saying you have to pick a side. Just keep the combined treats around 10% of the daily diet and let a complete layer feed do the rest.
One thing that matters more than which insect you pick
How the insects were raised. An insect is only as nutritious as its own diet, and cheap mass-produced imports are often raised on feed you would not want anywhere near your eggs. Ours are fed a natural, organic-based diet and produced to Canadian standards, and dried insect orders over 1 lb ship free across Canada.
Still deciding how much to feed? Our feeding guide covers daily amounts by bird and season.