Reducing chicken feed - mealworms?

Anyone here got tips regarding raising and feeding mealworms to chickens?  I'm in the Seattle area, so keeping them warm enough may be a challenge (same one for black soldier flies!)   Another question - cheapest feed for the mealworms?  What will they eat?  (dried) weed seeds?  lambsquarter - amaranth, etc?  

Nancy, here are some threads that you might enjoy:

https://permies.com/wiki/149177/ungarbage/Mealworms-Darkling-Diaries

https://permies.com/t/45530/Replace-Soy-Mealworms

Thanks a bunch Anne!  I 'searched' for 'mealworms' and think I only got one bite.  I should use Google (ugh!) and search for 'permies mealworms'.... it often works better, I think.  But, you're the best!!  ox

I tried raising mealworms.  Put wheat bran about an inch deep in their box, and potato peelings or pieces of carrot as something to feed on and get moisture, per recommendations online and from friend I got them from.  Mistakes I made were (1) too much veggie pieces...moisture content got too high and wheat bran molded.  Started over. (2) too cold in my house, no larvae ever hatched, ever...

So kind of gave up on the idea.  If you live in a warmer climate would perhaps work.  I’m in Appalachian mountains and even now in July it gets 53 at night sometimes and the house is just cool all the time.   But I still think it is a great idea if you have the right kind of environment for them.  

I bought 2 dozen mealworms a couple years ago at an exotic pet store with the hopes of raising mealworms as supplemental food for our small flock (about 6 chickens). I tried using the 3 drawer method - plastic set of 3 drawers with top drawer having a screened bottom. Beetles are housed in that one and eggs fall through screen into feedstock and begin developing.  I thought I had failed because "nothing" happened after the beetles all died.  But I never got around to cleaning out the drawer unit and several months later I discovered a treasure trove of mealworms had hatched, grown and reproduced! No veggies for moisture, just old flour that I had dumped in there at the start.
I have since modified my approach.  I have 2 medium flat Sterilite containers under my buffet, sideboard, whatever you want to call it. They are about 4 inches tall and 20 inches long by 15 inches wide (approximately). I drilled holes in lids for air. Feedstock is wheat bran I get from feedstore (50 lbs/ $12.00). I started using bran i bought online ($2lbs / $18.00). Important step is to freeze your bran to eliminate weevils. I didn't do that and ended up with a lot of weevils in my house!  Every couple weeks I put a portion of a carrot in each container for moisture. One container is primarily for the beetles and the other is for the worms to grow . After several months, I take the frass from the beetles and add it to the worm box. This transfers many eggs into the grow out container. Every 6 months or so, I freshen up both boxes with new bran and clean them out. When I discover beetles or pupa in grow out box, I just transfer them to the beetle box. I use a sifter from the dollar store to separate worms, beetles and frass. Space Coast Mealworms sells a very nice graded set of sifters that fit over a 5 gallon bucket, but the set is $72 or more and I'm trying to SAVE money, not spend it. The set up is easy, does not smell or take up much room. It can tolerate severe neglect (something i am quite good at and produces a great crop of treats for my small flock. It could be scaled up for a larger flock. However,  I still feed my flock with Dumor Layer Pellets that I purchase from Tractor Supply and I let them free range the property on the weekends.  Hope this helps!

Thanks, a BUNCH, Amy  : )

Where do you gẹt weed seeds anyway?  I'm pretty sure the chickens would eat it, but even more sure the mealworms would.