Red wigglers in deep litter

[nickdlny]

Hey everybody.

I've been lurking this sight for a while, and now I'm asking my first question. Thanks to all who share knowledge in this thread and other threads

I searched the sight for an answer to this question--if you see one I missed, please respond with a link.

Soooo, I building my chicken coop right now. I'm setting it in the ground with a dirt floor to accommodate a deep litter method. I have an abundance of red wiggler composting worms, and I'm curious about the communities thoughts on trying to get worms established in the deep litter to assist in breaking down the poo and the bedding. I know the chickens will eat the worms, but I don't think they can get all of them.

Has anybody tried this? Have any thoughts?

Thanks,

Nick

 

[donrae]

I have worms in my deep litter. I didn't place them there, they showed up in a corner after a leak in the roof made a nice damp spot. Overall my liter is too dry for them right now as it's mostly pine shavings. Some folks have a moister bedding to do actual composting in the coop, I think that's what the worms would need. Pile it pretty deep and I think you'd always have some worm population. Your chickens would love it.

I keep a couple sheets of plywood in the run to encourage worm and insect populations. Just flip the boards every week or so to expose the yummy treats underneath. If I'm quick I can harvest the worms before the hens.

 

[tcstoehr]

Those things have a way of showing up wherever they are able to live. If your deep-litter coop floor will support those red wigglers, they will show up by themselves. I wouldn't bother adding any.

 

[RonP]

I have deep litter with a dirt floor in my run, 10 to 24 inches deep.

The flock loves to dig holes, at times over 18 inches deep.

If there are worms in the run, I have never seen one, or any other insect...

Just outside the run walls, where I collect the compost, there are many.

Add as many worms as you like, they make excellent treats.

 

[nickdlny]

Thanks everybody for sharing your thoughts. I'll toss some in and keep you all updated with what I find. I'm not really suspecting that I can get the worms to flourish in there because of the hear, the super high nitrogen, and the chickens pawing at them. Just the same, it seems like a good idea to give it a try.

I saw that somebody somewhere put a bail of straw on top of the gob of worms they put in--it gave the works a head start and the chickens something to play with. I may try something like that. Otherwise, I may just dig down below the deep litter and plant the worms under ground--that seems like it might be the most logical because it gives the worms the best fighting chance--then again I don't always like to follow logic

I'll be sure to post the results of my experiments as time goes on. Thanks again.

 

[RonP]

Please post your results.