Insects as Food for People and Livestock

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Eating insects!  The way things are going it may be a forgone conclusion.  Insects are extremely efficient at converting feed into protein.  Many of the insects that people culture are detrivores, meaning they eat just about anything.  I am going to expand this into the term micro-livestock for purposes of this discussion.   What this really boils down to is a whole systems based approach to addressing ones needs.  I have not made the jump to eating them full time but know it to be a viable option.  People all over the world eat insects.  Only Western culture and those heavily influenced by them seem to have an issue with it.

Insects can be kept in a small intensive system.  They can be kept in high-rise apartments and fed off of waste from previous meals, yard trimmings, leaves, or whatever else you can find.  Fruit flies have more special needs which are still easy to meet.  

 I have experience breeding:

1) Blaptica dubia Roaches

2) Tenebrio molitor Darkling Beetle

3) Tenebrio obscurus Darkling Beetle

4) Drosophila hydei Fruit Fly

5) Drosophila melanogaster Fruit Fly

6) Hermetia illucens BSF Black Soldier Fly

7) Acheta domestica Crickets

Although they are not exactly insects I have also cultured:

1) Gammarus (scuds)

2) Glass Shrimp (most difficult)

3) Ramshorn Snails (very easy)

4) Sow Bugs

5) Red Wiggler

6) Crayfish

Scuds and Sow Bugs are both Isopods and have more than 6 legs.  I also have experience with honey bees and worms (again not insects but also very useful).  I have not perpetuated them past the original queen but I have maintained several reproducing ant colonies before.  Also, I would not suggest eating fly or fly larvae, but they can still be put to good use as you will see below.  I see no reason why BSF wouldn't be safe, I just cannot bring myself to do it.

Another micro-livestock animal I have some experience with is Guinea Pigs.  They are easy to take care of for the most part.  They have a need for vitamin C just as humans do so be wary of what you are feeding them to make sure they get it.  If they are not getting it regularly you need to supplement it.  They breed at a very young age, mature quickly and are born eating solid food.  There is very minimal suckling.  They have an efficient conversion ratio and a couple of them make a decent meal for a grown man.  I was able to successfully keep them in my apartment with relatively little hassle.  They are usually fed Timothy hay as a staple but I really do not feel that this is necessary as long as they get plenty of roughage.  In Peru guinea pigs are commonly used as food and this is what they were specifically developed for.  They are a meat animal.

Read More: http://www.permies.com/t/19371/rabbits/guinea-pigs-meat-journal

Another micro-livestock animal one can keep would be Quail.  In my opinion they may be a little bit too dirty to keep inside but would fit well on a small patio.  They need a couple square feet of space per bird.  Be sure to provide 40 to 50 square inches of floor area per bird. The interior height of the pens should be about 8 to 10 inches to prevent the active quail from flying up and scalping themselves on the ceiling.  They need a feed about 25% protein.  So let’s say you don’t want to eat your insects.  Just convert them into quail and eat those instead!  They are excellent and efficient meat and egg birds.  They do not generally rear their own young well so you will need to incubate when you want more.  To create your own feed, see below:

1)      An oil source such as black oil sunflower seeds, flax seeds, etc.

2)      A mineral source - kelp works nicely, or molasses in the winter

3)      A green source such as sprouted seeds, grasses, chop n drop herbs and weeds

4)      A high protein grain such as - Hard Red Wheat, Quinoa, Amaranth, Kamut, Rye or Spelt

I do not see any problem with using insects for protein and many use milk products such as kefir and whey.  It seems as though this would be easy stuff to find in local fields or around the house.

Read more:  http://www.permies.com/t/5959/chickens/Making-Chicken-Feed-Quail-Feed

Read more:  http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/coturnix-quail-zmaz81sozraw.aspx#ixzz2UhU7pSeD

http://phys.org/news/2013-05-bugs-food-future.html

Try the Cricket Bar!