Hazards of feeding earth worms?

[casportpony]

Any reason to look for worms if the ducks seem healthy? Like an annual checkup?

I guess it depends on how many you have and how much money you can spend. There are labs that you can send poop samples off to, so that is one option. Collect a bunch of poop from as many birds as possible, stir well, and ship it off for testing.

 

[casportpony]

I started this table

Type of Worm	Common Name	Category	Host
Acuaria spp	Gizzard worm	Nematode	Pill bugs, sow bugs, grasshoppers, and beetles
Ascaridia spp.	Large Roundworm	Nematode	Earthworms
Capillaria spp.	Hairworm	Nematode	Earthworms
Heterakis spp.	Cecal worm	Nematode	Earthworms and house flies
Oxyspirura spp.	Eye worm	Nematode	Cockroaches
Strongyloides spp.	Threadworms or pinworms	Nematode
Subulura spp.		Nematode	Beetle and cockroach
Syngamus trachea.	Gapeworms	Nematode	Earthworms, snails, slugs, flies, and cockroaches
Tetrameres spp.		Nematode
Amoebotaenia cuneata	Tapeworm	Cestode	Earthworms
Choanotaenia infundibulum	Common tapeworm	Cestode	Locusts, ants, and termites
Davainea proglottina.	Minute Tapeworm	Cestode	Slugs, snails
Raillietina spp.	Tapeworm	Cestode	Slugs, snails, ants, beetles, house flies
Prosthogonimus spp.	Oviduct Fluke	Fluke	Freshwater snails and dragonflies

 

[Miss Lydia]

I guess it depends on how many you have and how much money you can spend. There are labs that you can send poop samples off to, so that is one option. Collect a bunch of poop from as many birds as possible, stir well, and ship it off for testing.

Sorry K this made me laugh! Collect and stir. I know this is serious business but it gave me a chuckle.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry K this made me laugh! Collect and stir. I know this is serious business but it gave me a chuckle.

Stir well! Seriously though, it's the best way to save money.

 

[casportpony]

I think I read that earth worms can carry gapeworms which are bad news for chickens.
Maybe I am wrong about the earth worm part but not about gapeworms.

You are correct.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I don't have ducks, but my chickens dig through leaves in the shaded areas when I let them out to Free range late in the day.
A couple of days ago I was watching my Golden Comets and one found a large nightcrawler and gobbled it up.

They'll be 4 years old the end of the month.
I don't look for or buy worms for them, but if they find one I don't try to stop them from eating it.
Sometimes I find a big juicy grasshopper or a cricket on a cool morning and toss it in the pen. GC

 

[416bigbore]

I thought I would add my .02 cents worth. Miss Piggy and Porky would disown us if we stopped feeding them earth worms.
https://eorganic.org/node/8103#:~:text=On a dry matter basis,either meat or fish meal.

 

[Ratchnick]

I thought I would add my .02 cents worth. Miss Piggy and Porky would disown us if we stopped feeding them earth worms.
https://eorganic.org/node/8103#:~:text=On a dry matter basis,either meat or fish meal.

For what its worth that article is refering to earthworm meal. Meat meals are usualy ground cooked then dried. The cooking would kill the parasites.