Jumping worms...

[Jsaller]

So are jumping worms bad for chickens? I'm not entirely sure I have them but I do let my flock out from time to time and they seem to catch quite a few worms. There is very little info out there, one article says that they may store heavy metals in their bodies and the chickens can pass it to the egg. If they are bad, how do you keep your chickens from eating them?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and now that I've read up on Jumping Worms, what little there is published, I'm going to refine my recommendations.

If your soil already has jumping worms, your chickens consuming them is ultimately good for the soil - because Jumping worms are invasives who do terrible things to soil quality our native plants don't well withstand.

If you don't have jumping worms, do NOT introduce them. There are better, native insects to use which don't pose similar threats to the natives and the environment.

 

[Jsaller]

I am not sure about the specific worms, but my flock free ranges all day long. I have had them eat centipedes right in front of me! Other than that, they also eat grubs, earthworms, and mealworms (I give these to them sometimes).

Never had a problem, but I do deworm twice a year. Sometimes just once, but if I notice something, the whole flock gets dewormed. And I also deworm any new birds during the quarantine period.

Thanks for the info, my concern is more about heavy metals from ingesting jumping worms not a parasitic problem.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

While I'm not familiar with jumping worms specifically, the mechanism of heavy metals accumulating in creatures, which then becomes more concentrated as you move up the food chain, is well accepted and understood. Mercury build up in fish is routinely measured, extensively documented, and results in periodic health warnings.

As with essentially everything else, "the dosage is the poison", and in many cases, the concern is with lifetime levels of accumulation.

Without better data, its impossible to know how much the jumping worms will accumulate from your soil, and then how much the chickens will accumulate from eating them, and then whether those heavy metals will deposit in the egg, in the liver, in the flesh generally, or somewhere else (like the feathers) - so which parts of the chicken you eat will *also* be a factor. Nor will every heavy metal accumulate in the same place...

Of course, plenty of green growing things, ostensibly "healthy diet component" green growing things, also take up heavy metals from the soil, which you then consume and accumulate...

In the absence of hard data, my advice is the usual. If your are surviving off the land, don't buy land with high concentrations of heavy metals. If you are young and concerned about lifetime heavy metal exposure, avoid the liver and kidneys, responsible for processing waste where "bad things" tend to accumulate. Finally, hair isn't good eats - and as we know from innumerable true crime drama, the hair (feathers on a bird) is routinely used to test for heavy metal poisoning. Finally, "Don't Panic" - the people pushing Fear have no data with which to judge how much concern is appropriate, and you can't avoid all risk.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

They are very distinct, readily identifiable when compared to an earthworm. Even I could tell them apart at a glance, and I'm not famed for my abilities at visual recognition.

The smooth, milky white ring is an obvious tell.

 

[cherrynberry]

So are jumping worms bad for chickens? I'm not entirely sure I have them but I do let my flock out from time to time and they seem to catch quite a few worms. There is very little info out there, one article says that they may store heavy metals in their bodies and the chickens can pass it to the egg. If they are bad, how do you keep your chickens from eating them?

I am not sure about the specific worms, but my flock free ranges all day long. I have had them eat centipedes right in front of me! Other than that, they also eat grubs, earthworms, and mealworms (I give these to them sometimes).

Never had a problem, but I do deworm twice a year. Sometimes just once, but if I notice something, the whole flock gets dewormed. And I also deworm any new birds during the quarantine period.

 

[Jsaller]

Thank you for your response! I would never introduce jumping worms, and to be honest I'm not sure if I actually do have them. I will have to investigate further when I get home. I did notice the last time I let them out they caught numerous worms without trying much. So it got me thinking I might have them. I do have young children who consume their eggs so my concern was mostly about them. I wish they had published the research data that showed the higher levels compared to say a regular earthworm, so people could assess the risk on their own.

 

[All4Eggz]

My chickens eat lots of worms. I'm not sure what kind of worms they eat, but they do eat a lot during warm & wet months.

I just did a search on jumping worms, and I see where it says that they can pass down metals which can pass to humans and cause potential health issues.

@Eggcessive, @Wyorp Rock, @JacinLarkwell, @U_Stormcrow, & @Sally PB , do you believe this is true?

 

[cherrynberry]

Thanks for the info, my concern is more about heavy metals from ingesting jumping worms not a parasitic problem.

Good luck finding out more info. I will also be watching this thread.

 

[All4Eggz]

Good luck finding out more info. I will also be watching this thread.

Me too!