Why don't my girls like earthworms?

[Pet Duck Boy]

I thought it's what every chicken lived for! I first offered earthworms at week 7, but nothing. They would pick it up, drop it, shake their heads, glare at it, then walk away. Every single time. It's still the same today, at 19 weeks. They could care less about the worms! They like grubs, mealworms, waxworms, moths, and any other insect imaginable. But in my small 1/3 of an acre yard, there's 90% earthworms and 10% others. I feel they don't get all the protein that is offered to them, since they pass up any earthworm they see. My duck on the otherhand, can live entirely off the worms she digs up if I didn't feed her.

 

[Alabama ee]

It might be a good thing. There is a sort of parasite that can infest chickens if they eat earthworms.

Ours don't like them either. My husband tried giving them a worm a while back and they RAN in terror from the monster worm. They went into their coop and hid until the horrible worm was gone. LOL They also don't like Japanese Beetles. I wish they did; there are a ton of them flying about. However, at least, they are not scared of those.

 

[Mark & Nique]

Whew -- I feel better! Our girls don't like earthworms either.

 

[gryeyes]

Not all of mine like earthworms. It's a mixed blessing, I think. Earthworms are good for the soil, so having chickens eat 'em would be counter-productive. Earthworms and slugs (another thing they don't like, oddly enough) can carry parasites which cause gape worm in chickens. I dunno what gape worm IS, but it sounds really nasty and I hope mine never get it.

 

[mamabigbird]

Quote:

Yikes! Mine have been eating worms from the compost since they were one week old. I hope they'll be okay, 'cuz I think they're addicted to them, and when they start ranging with the big girls they'll find their own.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Our will not eat worms, either. Now crickets and meal worms are a different story!

 

[Lobzi]

I have found that my chickens tend to reject anything euwie-gooie. They love drier worm offering such as meal worms. I just dont think they like to get they beak messy. If they happen to indulge on anything moist they alway spend a lot of time wiping their beaks on the nearest "wash rag" often my shirt or pant leg.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Earthworm are host to, gapeworm,capilary,and tapeworms. So yes BAD for chickens, or other birds