6 growing substrates from Feed Ingredients.
Feed Ingredient
Ground chicken layer feed is the backbone diet for most cricket farms. 16-18% protein, fortified with calcium and vitamins. Cheap, available at any farm supply store, and crickets grow fast on it. Most commercial operations use this as their base feed.
$12-$18 per 50lb bag
Feed Ingredient
Wheat bran is the standard feed for mealworms and a solid supplement for crickets. About 15% protein, cheap in bulk, and easy to store dry. The go-to ingredient for anyone starting an insect farm on a budget.
$0.50-$1.50 per pound
Feed Ingredient
Yellow cornmeal mixed into feed blends as a carbohydrate and energy source. Not enough protein on its own, but combined with soybean meal or wheat bran it rounds out a balanced insect diet. Crickets love it.
$0.40-$1.00 per pound
Feed Ingredient
Soybean meal is one of the highest-protein plant ingredients you can add to insect feed. Around 44-48% protein. Mix it into your base feed at 10-20% to boost growth rates, especially for BSFL and crickets being raised for protein production.
$0.30-$0.60 per pound
Feed Ingredient
Fish meal at 60-65% protein is the heavy hitter for insect feed formulations. Expensive but it pushes growth rates and final protein content higher than any plant source. Use sparingly at 5-10% of the total blend, and store sealed because it smells.
$0.80-$1.50 per pound
Feed Ingredient
Deactivated brewer's yeast is packed with B vitamins and about 45% protein. Add it at 5-10% to any insect feed blend for a nutritional bump. Especially useful for gut-loading feeder insects before they go to reptiles or poultry.
$2-$5 per pound