Questions about feeding live worms

[mikecnorthwest]

I'm just starting out with 1 week old chicks and this is my first time with chickens. I'm also thinking about starting a home worm bin to compost kitchen wastes. Red worms are the worms of choice to use for composting. Any problems with taking a few red worms now and then from the compost bin and throwing them in the coop? Also, does anyone know if there is any problem in taking the wastes from the coop and throwing some of it in the worm bin?

 

[keysfarmgirl]

I have read that earthworms carry eggs and drop eggs that can give chickens worms, and that you should not give earthworms to chickens. I have been giving mealworms, which they love. I guess if they were free range they might pick up earthworms on their own, but you should do some research on that before feeding them the earthworms.

 

[katrinag]

I have never had a problem with mine and earthworms, they suck them out of the ground like candy.
If you raise worms I would say go with mealworms. It is very easy to raise them.

 

[enola]

I have my worm bin in my 'chicken' room. I take the bedding from the brooder and throw it right in my worm bin. It works, no smell so far, and lots of happy worms.

I am going to feed the worms to the hens though, not the chicks.

 

[mikecnorthwest]

Quote:
I was not going to feed worms until the chicks were grown and in the coop, so probably a couple of months out. Also I was planning on this being an occasional snack. The other use will be for fishing bait.

 

[Garden Gal]

Here is some info I ran across today.


http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Feeding-Chickens-Earthworms.html

 

[Freebird]

The way I see it, if worms,bugs, etc. were bad for chickens, chicks included, there wouldn't be a chicken left alive on the planet! I guess it's possible they could get some kind of parasite, but you can't shield them from everything, and we'd probably be surprised at all the stuff our own chickens have eaten that we were never aware of...I won't lose any sleep over it, that's for sure. I start feeding mine the occasional worm, cricket, etc. when they are chicks. They LOVE it, and it quickly teaches them to come to me for a treat. It's also hysterical to watch. Sometimes the 'treat' will change beaks 3 or 4 times before one is finally able to snarf it down in peace.

 

[Ckn woman]

Quote:
I totally agree. They are not shielded from everything and plus they will be outside, how can you stop them from eating some. I gave my 3 wk old cks a few earthworms yesterday and they loved it and it is so much fun to watch!!

 

[mikecnorthwest]

Thanks for the replies. I'm thinking of making a real simple bin out of a rubbermaid container. It will add another dimension to our backyard fun with my 9 and 12 year old daughters.

 

[amartinlb]

Quote:
I totally agree. They are not shielded from everything and plus they will be outside, how can you stop them from eating some. I gave my 3 wk old cks a few earthworms yesterday and they loved it and it is so much fun to watch!!

I agree also. Besides, even if the chicken did get a worm egg hatched inside of them (though I never heard of this) it would pass through their digestive system and out in their feces, or they would digest the eggs too.

My 2-6 week old chicks have already found worms when I bring them outside and love them! They also managed to find termite larvae, pill bugs, grass grubs, baby spiders, and millipedes and slurped those down too!

-Anna