Easiest Black Soldier Fly Bin for FREE Chicken Food

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

🐥Take My Natural Chicken Raising Course - bit.ly/3Ia8Iap Learn to brood & hatch chicks, Korean Natural Farming, ferment feed & other foods, making & using supplements, $ saving tips, & much more + answering your questions with community support.

[@oniarrca9431]

Why not combine both ideas? Have a tote as you do, then place another larger tote under it that has a funneling shape to an exit port on the bottom.

[@Spark_Iskra_z_Polski]

Would it help to insulate the container for winter so that it keeps warm inside it and let them overwinter still producing larva? I saw a vid on how to stop water from freezing and it involved a pipe dug in deep etc.

[@andrewflowers6794]

❤Writing from a rice-farming village in the mountains of Northern Thailand. Thanks for your work. I like your style. EVERYONE here has chickens, and no one has a lot of money. So I am trying to share this with as many people as I can. You'd love Thai chickens. Less meat, but more flavor. It's the 'Original' chicken. Tiny breast, looong legs and super-high tail placement. Hens will battle dogs and cats here and win protecting their chicks by kicking with those long legs. I wish my PBR hens had that kind of Maternal instinct. If you get the chance, eat one!

[@Fatherfarmgreenlife]

My farm needs it

[@croc1122]

Does it make sense to have a layer of gravel at bottom where you drill the drain holes? How often are you adding scraps? At some point is there a need to dump out and start over?

[@HelenEk7]

To skip the intro: 3:40 In the UK there are now some insect farms using food waste. The insects are then made into chicken, pork and fish feed. I hope this trend will spread.

[@WardogsTeamTV]

So what would be the Europeen equivalent of the Black Soldier Fly as we don't have it in France for exemple (if i'm not mistaken)

[@keilahhall7391]

Probably some sort of maggot or larva from another fly. ​@@WardogsTeamTV

[@renaldamarkos7913]

Thank u for the tip!

[@joaquinsolanojimenez]

They are there in Europe, only that in winter they are dormant

[@jordansaipaia7874]

Thanks

[@ericluna2934]

You can do the same thing by adding a maggot bucket to you chicken run!! Take a 5-gallon bucket drill some holes at the sides of the bottom area but not underneath the bucket and then add anything during the warmer months that flies like to eat and they will lay there maggot larvae there. So leftover meat chicken bones dairy eggs etc

[@anandasmom]

Do you keep a lid on it?

[@crystalwood3395]

Yes

[@anandasmom]

@@crystalwood3395 thanks

[@arrhazes8198]

This is by far the easiest BSFL Bin system on YT. THANK YOU!

[@alisonheeley3587]

I have what was a compost worm bin..but is now teeming with black soldier fly larvae. I felt a bit disgusted initially, but found that my chickens absolutely LOVE to eat them! I am reassured now that I have researched them! ❤🙏🏼

[@elijahsanders3547]

I made a double tub system set up for getting compost tea (a tub at the bottom, a slightly larger tub with holes in the bottom and some sticks and leaves but at the bottom, and covered with a black trash bag), and quickly found it crawling with larva, that almost miraculously would break down piles of kitchen scraps overnight. I was also throwing in tried material as well, and it never stayed accumulated for very long. Kind of gross, but very useful and amazing how God set things up.

[@dmplus2k]

I have been trying to attract them for months using veggie waste, Nothing. I have seen them around but they would not lay eggs. Added left over nacho meat a week ago, checked it this morning and the farm is crawling with larvae. So stoked. Chooks are going to go mental 🙏🏻😁

[@FallbackNkillEm]

Add cardboard over the food waste to give the flies somewhere to lay the eggs

[@GrandmomZoo]

Build mine with the cardboard vertical so the corregation holes are high and visable. You will see the yellow eggs when they find it.

[@swen6797]

Rotten bananas mixed in with something. Easy to get the recipe on youtube.

[@swen6797]

Might be house fly maggots.

[@caz4523]

They say they like coffee grounds... I attract them this way..

[@Katie38689]

I accidentally left a half a bag of chicken food in the rain and ruined it. I put it in the back of the yard until I was able to throw it away but I forgot about it. One day I saw those larva crawling out of the bag and the chickens were eating them. So it seems you can just use a feed bag lol I learned how to do this entirely by accident.

[@FarleyMan151]

Same for me, but they were in my compost.

[@mycrochetobsession]

Thank you for keeping it simple. I’m 70 and this system is something that I can do.

[@AndrewPolidori]

So simple! Seen a few very cool solutions like this, but the absolute simplicity takes the cake!

[@childeroland6858]

Duuuude, this looks way simpler and better than the first way! I've been wanting to try getting soldier fly larvae for my ladies, so I'm definitely trying this

[@livingwellfarmtx]

My chickens, ducks,guineas and I thank you for this.

[@skschiedeck9179]

This seems much easier. I think I'm going to change my system to this and put it in with my chicks. Getting the soldier flies to go up the ramps is like moving the deer crossing sign and expecting them to cross there.

[@ctaalc2]

Did you give it a try?

[@humantiger72]

​@@ctaalc2 turns out deer ceossing signs are cemented in place. Hard to move :)

[@SgtSnausages]

We just use a 5-gal bucket with holes drilled in the sides. Hang it on a t-post wherever your birds happen to hang out. Processing day, for birds or rabbits or - there's *plenty* of guts and leftovers to recharch the buckets. Process in smaller batches more frequently and you can keep 'em producing all season.

[@gracehc9356]

I am extremely glad to have found your video and channel. I appreciate your knowledge especially being new to chickens but seeing how they can compliment my current composting practices. Thank you !!

[@yasinkolgu]

Best use of internet. You are a generous man, May Allah straighten your path!

[@adryawebb2556]

I have thousands of the larvae in my regular compost pile helping to break it down. I don't have chickens yet, but some of the wild birds have been enjoying the bounty of larvae.

[@AFrayedKnotMate]

So simple, I love it and am going to use it in my chook yard in Australia.

[@lavenderskies2094]

This is the answer to my self harvesting problem! This is so much easier!!! Thank you! 😊

[@tellitlikeitis1828]

Thanks for the vid. I just put pvc tees in the lid and cardboard for the larvae...10 minutes ago...then watched your video. I am going to make more than one so I will use your simple method on the next one.

[@wallychiang5639]

Can they climb vertically on the plastic wall?

[@BradyVaughn]

I was wondering the same thing.

[@pixelzz829]

Yes they can. I have a compost bucket before and larvae can climb up to the top of it.

[@hbrws813]

Very easy design! Thank you for this!

[@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece]

Addition: The plants surrounding the box might increase the life time of plastic box outdoors significantly. Because most plastics are not very UV resistant. so shading them might significantly increase durability. UV makes plastic brittle, even the outdoor stuff suffers from this massively after 10 or 20 years. So plants and or solar setups should be combined with this. But from what I heard the chickens need the shade too anyways, so most chicken setups should be good anyways.

[@lvanderb3]

Quite excited about your chicken KNF course as we’re moving in a few weeks and will be getting chickens!

[@effectentertainment7882]

Should collect the liquid use it when watering you garden worked for me quite well.

[@jdwilsun]

How do the larvae get out? Crawl vertically? How do you get the good compost out? Empty the entire unit?

[@cactuscake1323]

Start 3:37

[@nchestercountynews4955]

Restaurants and Grocery stores won't give waste away because they think they will be sued for giving away "bad food"

[@billiannaaustin8345]

In florida we have a law to protect stores so they can give the food away. Maybe you could lobby for a similar law in your state or country. Hope this changes. Some stores still sell to pig farmers instead.

[@elainemartin1801]

I have been using the tote but I would like to be able to harvest and dry some for the fall. I understand at pupa stage when they want to leave is the age to collect for freezing or dehydrating. Im having a difficult time collecting them.

[@ericalesquin8189]

How do you keep mice and other peat predators from getting into this?

[@jeanettehaygood4154]

LOL Chickens will eat anything that doesn’t eat them first! They love mice, etc!

[@robsee9]

I was wondering about large predators, where I live it would be bears?

[@lilithfrances1011]

Hey what about the box attracting other types of flies, like blowflies and houseflies, dont they pass on bad bacerias to the chickens?? thanks for the video!!

[@cannabiss9433]

BSF outcompete house flys, in fact you can put the run off from BSF farms into a dish in various places around your house and it effectively wards off other flies

[@lilithfrances1011]

@@cannabiss9433 thank you!

[@feralkevin]

Nice video! The issue I have with the drainage holes is they get clogged with moist bsf waste OR grubs (especially the smaller ones) crawl out. I have done different things to deal with it, but haven't found quite the best way yet.

[@sheilal3172]

Try using coffee filters over the drain holes--I use them in my potted plants and the dirt doesn't fall out of the holes, but the water does.

[@feralkevin]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have tried this, but filters quickly break due to decomposition as well as get almost instantly clogged. @@sheilal3172

[@glintinggold]

Someone commenting here reminded us to use used coffee filters on the inside to cover drainage holes, which is absolute genius.

[@jayce1850]

Coffee filters, or a water-permeable cloth or soft mesh for a sturdier solution.

[@MichaelSmith-ku7ki]

I'm thinking some pieces of brillo pads or steel wool attached with some sticky side out duct tape before you put in your compost.

[@thehazelnutspread]

Do you empty the contents occasionally or do the larvae eat enough of the scraps to keep it down so that you can steadily add to it?

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

I just keep adding till the end of the season. liquids drain out bottom and shrinks it.

[@tkrauss67]

How do the larva that get out turn into a fly before they get eaten? I’m thinking I need an area where the flies would be able to turn into a fly and then go back in to lay eggs.

[@hooktraining3966]

​@@tkrauss67I wouldn't worry about that. You won't run out of local flies stopping by to lay eggs.

[@tkrauss67]

@@hooktraining3966 I didn't see any black solder flies anywhere and then I gave up on the box really. Then about 3-4 weeks past and I got back and there is a bunch of larvae and little guys and I thought, where did they come from? So now I must have the females laying eggs and it's working. I get a few dozen worms each morning in my bucket.

[@lilycardoso4679]

I only see larvae at the bottom of the bin in the muck. I don't think they are climbing out. What can I do to? Does my bin need to be over half full? I just heard coffee grounds on the bottom is good, I think I will try this too.

[@neverendingharvest6413]

Nice to see others carrying this method on😊

[@BenjaminEmbrace]

Appreciate this so much! This simplicity is what I need excited to soon be having birds myself!🎉🐓

[@andrewflowers6794]

Anyone know how to stimulate BSFL to Self-Harvest? My BSFL used to drive me crazy climbing vertical walls and escaping. But now, even though I build PVC ramps they won't exit their plastic tote. I put a mango peel or cabbage leaf on the pile and come back to it later covered when I need larvae, but I'd rather they do it on their own.

[@karencatlin950]

Can this technique work in Washington state? Will the pupa survive freezing tempuratures?

[@jaredmalakouti8358]

This might be an obvious question - when I start the bin and fill it with kitchen scraps, do I need to introduce live soldier flies to get them started? What percentage of their feed comes from this? Do you supplement their diet with chicken feed and scraps from the garden separately? I thought you’re not supposed to feed chickens rotting food - is there any danger in putting them on this kind of diet?

[@nicolem376]

Hi. I will try to answer. I’m no expert but here’s my two cents.. This should attract black soldier flies so you don’t need to add live ones unless you don’t want to wait. Definitely use meat to attract them faster. The meat and rotten food in the bin will not affect your chickens because they’re not eating it. It’s perfectly fine for them to eat the larva that has fed off of it. You really should not subtract from the regular feed amount for this. Maybe if you start producing really high quantities you might notice them eating less feed, but I wouldn’t make any changes when you start this for sure. Black soldier fly larva are great for laying hens.

[@abbyfox2980]

Just found out what was living in my worm farm! Should have got some chickens!

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Oh ya they love to lay in worm farms too if they can find access!

[@coriding]

Awesome idea, thanks! Would 3/4 holes with a drill work just as well? Is there a reason for doing slits instead of drilling holes?

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Sure that would work too. Slits because faster and drilling holes in plastic just creates a mess.

[@BenjaminEmbrace]

I asked myself this too. But the answer I came to was, holes would again be something for the worms to “aim” for as while slits staggered as seen in this video make an 360• window straight-out exit for the worms. (Staggering slits keeps box from falling apart.) Just what I thot, Ive never done this though.

[@hollypotter9198]

I started a compost bin from an old truck box. It was taking forever to compost until the soldier flies moved in! I’ll have to figure out how to do this for my girls. Hit co-op is completely enclosed due to high coyote and buzzard population

[@MyForestNymph]

How are they able to climb the walls do the walls need to be textured or dirty for them grab on ? Or they have magical sticky climbing powers already ?

[@eyadhamza3147]

will the soldier fly larvae have any issues climbing the vertical portions of the plastic bin?

[@osar2870]

That’s my question as well or I wonder if you need to fill the tote all the way up to the slits for them to get out?

[@I.m-Me]

My friend did a BSF bucket in San Diego's North County and their local BSF were a deep, iridescent blue 😯

[@free2pink]

Hi 👋 I live in Northern California and I have never seen a Black Soldier Fly. How do I attract them, but keep the common house fly out of the bin?

[@Asiergr]

Could work if 17 Celsius?

[@ashleyalexander7388]

couple inch certical slits might work better, as they would allow the larvae to find a slit easy

[@peggymazzell2506]

at what stage would i put them in containers to sell? would i just dip them out into a container and make available for sell?

[@GregCoulson-tp1wu]

I live in Southeast Ohio. How do you get soldier flies?

[@ingridbond3432]

the course sounds invaluable

[@ricdenali4213]

How high can the larvae climb? Does the food scraps need to be near the slits?

[@djkilpatrick5256]

Does the tote need to be changed yearly?

[@SpiffyFambam]

This is an easier way for sure! I am saving this for future reference when I have chickens. Thank you for sharing.

[@jenniferswinning]

So I am curious. We feed food scraps to our chickens but Would using the scraps to start the fly box yield more food then the scraps alone?

[@stanjohnson7849]

Simple is a very good thing 👏🏽

[@enwang9667]

#EcoBSF #BSF #Blacksoldierfly I'm the BSF, the black soldier fly I'm the king of compost, the lord of the sky. With our powerful jaws and digestive might, we can eat almost anything, it's quite a sight. We turn waste into protein, oil, and fertilizer too Our magic brings new life from what once was through.

[@MooseSanchez-zz8si]

That's aweso.e little poem or rhym

[@davidsosna5913]

I thought one one of the reasons for the ramps was that the larvae can't climb right up the smooth plastic vertical walls. Are you saying they absolutely can and do? Or does the compost have to stay at a level even with the slits?

[@tdvanwinkle]

Does it get to the point where you need to extract solids from the bottom ? Is the waste good for the soil or does it need to be composted?

[@lokes2]

I wish I would of known this 4yrs ago, when I wanted to build a box, but didn't want to put the effort in. Thanx for sharing. I wonder I have time to do a short run before winter.

[@Saltwatercowboy79]

Awesome video man, building 2 today for our chickens... thank you!🤘🇺🇸

[@jatwangismyname900]

Hi, first of all your set up is wonderful. If you could, can you please tell me; apart from the black soldier fly, does other unwanted flies like common housefly lay eggs on them?

[@jeanettehaygood4154]

I don’t have any experience raising black soldier flies but I have grown regular fly larvae on purpose. The chickens clean them up!

[@jatwangismyname900]

@@jeanettehaygood4154 Not very helpful isn't it. The goal is to get the bsfl alone and not other types of disease vectors like housefly larvae.

[@annapry6470]

If a housefly is going to lay eggs, better it be where their larvae get eaten and stop the life cycle! End up with fewer flies ​@@jatwangismyname900

[@southernfriedland8002]

Steven always a pleasure watching your video’s coop looks awesome I did the same with the logs from the land so cool looking

[@HolyFamilyHomesteadWV]

Do I need to break down something like a lemon rind? Thinking of doing this with most of our leftovers and all the stuff chickens shouldn’t eat.

[@jlambert7979]

Any recommendations for a northern climate? Anything that works during the snow months to provide a food source for chickens?

[@hissonshinegirl]

Google raising mealy worms in plastic drawers in the house

[@hissonshinegirl]

You can also freeze the solider fly larva

[@fjyamaha-fc7cm]

does it make it more accessible/digestible if the food in the tote is crushed/ground into smaller pieces?..

[@unmeaninglessly143]

Preferably chopped but not grounded. If its too mush, it'll get too watery, thus anaerobic, thus more stinky.

[@richardwalsh8162]

So the larva will crawl 90 degrees? All others videos talk about 45 degrees max? This would be awesome if they crawl straight up⬆️

[@caz4523]

My question is this... Do you always keep the bin filled that high so compost so that it is close to the openings you made? Can a soldier fly crawl straight up like maggots? TY

[@RobertThomas-yf4nc]

Hi...I have the same setup here in Florida and all I seem to get are House Fly larva. What can I do to get Black Solider Fly larva instead?

[@glintinggold]

You can order them online and start faster, or, get *overripe mangoes* and put them on top of the scrap heap, put a largish piece of cardboard on top, put the lid on loose or askew, and voila! It shouldn't be long!

[@unmeaninglessly143]

Use grains/flour/fruit. Get them fermented.

[@johanna006]

How do you get soldier flies instead of houseflies?

[@MichaelSmith-ku7ki]

That's basically my question too

[@llbailey9946]

In my years of experimentation with this, the BSFL quickly outnumber and maybe even eat the regular fly larvae. I call them Land Piranha LOL, they are truly astounding how fast they consume everything in their path LOL

[@Jesusisnumberone5740]

Just wait longer. They will show up

[@peggymazzell2506]

i can not figure out how the bin is set up... i am visual and can't see it. is there anyway you could give me a step by step. please do t be rude ...I just have a very hard time processing. i had soldier flies in sc when i was worm farming but had no idea the treasures that they were (I was just mesmerized by them) and how to use them... thank u so much

[@lowcohomesteader]

Im going to have to do this. The black soldier flies love my vermicomposting bin

[@actseighteen5308]

Question what about the box attracting animals like raccoons or possums?

[@jaredn960]

Would this work in zone 5

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Yes in summer

[@georgetteetourneaux3350]

Great info. So the larvae can crawl straight up the sides of tote? They do not need a slope?

[@southafricanrhino]

Thank you for this video. I am curious if chicken poo can be added to the fly feed? Would the larvae eat chicken poo?

[@shreeshponkshe2410]

Thanks for sharing. One doubt ... Isn't this just killing out all larvae without leaving any for future generations? Maybe we can have another smaller box kept out of reach of the hens ... So the larvae from there can pupate, become adults and escape to freedom ... And possibly lay eggs in your main box?

[@masterjefftkd]

Awesome simple design! We're looking to breed black soldier fly larvae. Will they pupate then return to the bin to breed and lay eggs? What keeps them from wandering off to lay eggs elsewhere?

[@amberemma6136]

Do the totes need to be shaded or can they be in full sun? Does it matter

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Yes full shade

[@amberemma6136]

@@NaturesAlwaysRight Thanks. One more question I have lots of old produce totes laying around they are black plastic but have holes and slits on all sides top to bottom and on the bottom of it. Would one of these be okay to use instead of a tote I have to add holes to? My concern is that maybe because the holes are down low and the bottom that it might have too much air flow or that they would go through the bottom and my chickens wouldn't have access to them... Would love to here your thoughts

[@talksonabox]

they can climb up the plastic sides?

[@himalayansaltlamp5902]

I live in norway. Apparently we dont have black soldier flies here. Would this technique attract other types of fly larvae you think?

[@mel41138]

Hello from space coast Florida 👍 first time here 👋. Ok so I'm a newbie just got my first 3 chicken.. 😁 yay!! And the people I got them from said not to feed them onions nor potatoes! But they feed them tomatoes 🍅 and another person said do not give them tomatoes nor avocados or the seed so can you or someone please advise me on this?! Thanks so much

[@a_driannelynn]

Thanks! You had the best most simple idea here!

[@johnchandler1687]

We had a compost pole containing a lot of cow manure. I put a box of red worms left over from fishing in it. 2 months later it was full of them. We had one old hen that would follow is to it and sit on the top of the shovel watching us turn up all those worms. Then she and the rest would eat all they could get. 😅

[@RobBetty-cb1cv]

Does anyone have any ideas about how to protect the bin from bears? Here in CT we have a lot of black bears coming through

[@laughinggiraffe9176]

You mentioned adding chicken and pork bones. I would imagine the soldier flies only eat the meat off the bones and can’t actually eat bones, can they? That would take a powerful bite. Or maybe only the remains after years of decay, or the meat on the bones?

[@Hannahkeir]

Yay! An easy system I could set up myself! All the others were too much for me to set up. Question... in the hot arid desert, are soldier Flys in the wild here? Or should I buy some live BSF larvae?

[@wyosundancer]

I have tried this in the past, but slightly different. My question is what do you do with the waste once the flies have worked on it?

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

It's amazing compost

[@cannabiss9433]

goes great in a worm farm

[@BigDaddy-lm1rl]

You add the waste to your planting beds, you are getting feed for the chickens and compost at the same time

[@CharlesGann1]

Looking forward to the knf chicken class!

[@allisonelms2341]

What about when you’ve added so much food that the bin becomes too full? Can you put that waste into compost? Will the larvae in that compost hurt my plants?

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

Start another bin :) or compost. The larvae won't bother living plants.

[@marshakleiv1310]

Brilliantly easy and efficient.

[@ahmedmahmoud8522]

Nice video , good idea But will it be too smelly ?? Please can you tell us about raising chickens without vaccines and medications , can it happens ? My chicks are 80 days now , i never give them medicine , only when i bought them around 7 days old , the seller informed me that they were vaccinated .. Buy I'm going in so small scale and in open area .. and they doing well until now . Thanks

[@kaydeedid_it2059]

Steven, love your channel! You are amazing, and so caring of our natural resources. Thank you 🙏. My question is how do I attract the black soldier flies? I have thousands if not millions of common houseflies in and around my chicken coop and run. I am in southeast Arkansas so we are inundated with them. Will the houseflies not take over the compost bin? Thank you for all you do.

[@womanoftheozarks]

Great idea....QUESTION? Wouldn't this setup be a danger for the chickens ? Since it's stinky...seems it would draw wildlife such as raccoons, possum, etc. I have trouble with raccoons in the Ozarks getting the chickens, even daytime....

[@jeanettehaygood4154]

Livestock Guardian Dog! Best thing I ever got to protect my birds!

[@reneeleuther7937]

I live in zone 7...should it be straw surrounded for insulation?

[@NaturesAlwaysRight]

I'm also zone 7. Not necessary, but go ahead and try and see if it helps. Their production drops off in fall anyways. It's really a spring/summer thing to do unless you want to get into indoor BSF production.

[@reneeleuther7937]

@@NaturesAlwaysRight Thanks for your reply. I've not had chickens in probably 10 years/seeking organic methods in sustainability as I'm starting again... appreciate your channel!!

[@federicomachon8841]

Brother the solutions exist if the people that finance the problems would stop the problems would disappear. 👋 From Guatemala

[@tonytruth2313]

Do they repopulate within the bin on there own?

[@MichaelSmith-ku7ki]

What about using chicken manure and left over eggs? Black flies will like that?

[@johnlary8792]

I live in north Alabama. I grow black soldier in a garbage can. I don't need to do anything to get soldier flies to lay eggs in my food waste. I just crack the lid and they show up and lay lots and lots and lots of eggs right on the food.

[@UsmanFaraz854]

Tha k you for sharing your practical knowledge and love to see the way you explain stay blessed 😊😊😊