WORM BIN FOR YOUR CHICKENS AND GARDEN........

[BaronRenfrew]

Yeah Cheekon: The worms are most likely "nightcrawlers." These are the common worms used for fishing. They are easy to raise and fairly easy to pick wild. Water your lawn, then walk softly at night with a flashlight with a red filter (use a red plastig bag if needed) as most animals (including predators i.e. dogs, raccoons) do not see red light. Most sold for use in fishing are picked at golf courses. Golf courses are notorious for chemical use so I have no idea how long that stays in the system of the worm. Worms are the major recyclers of plant matter, loving apple leaves most of all. They also can be raised in an old fish tank (in a dark place) and fed on newspapers. Fishing magazines often have articles on how to grow your own in a homemade plywood box. Happy hunting...

 

[professor-yellow]

I dont know if its possible for others but I have black plastic bags of horse manure that I pick up from a horse raiser. I place the bags over the mulch and the worms find themselves at the surface. Every 3 weeks or so I rotate the bags, and the ducks and chickens are right there gobbling them up.

I also have a worm bin made of 2x10. It measures 4x8 feet, built right on the ground with 1/4 inch holes drilled 1 inch on centers. There is a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood hinged as a giant lid. There is compost for starter and a sheet of 6 mil black poly cut shorter than the frams by 1 inch all the way around. This will allow the critical air flow required and the black plaxtic ensures no sunlight.

When you feed, let the veggie scraps and grounds sit together for a week or so to get the microbial activity started, then when the previous scraps are about gone, spread another layer and cover with the plastic and close the lid.

massive amounts of worms will be grown in short order. Worms are approximately 18 percent protien by weight and readily assimilated into the system.

I do not use ANY chemicals on our place so its all good, and dont have to worry about tainted worms.

 

[texaschickmama]

I just got the worm bin from UPS. I'm expecting my worms any minute, hopefully today.

Never thought I would get excited about worms.

 

[eggzettera]

I posted this over at The Easy Garden.....

My worm bin is just a rubber maid bin with holes drilled into the sides for ventilation, I just used the largest drill bit I had. Err on the side of too many, the worms if they are happy will not try to escape (they do not like light). If they do try to escape your bin has some kind of problem......

Some people make a worm bin out of 2 – 5 gallon pails that can fit into each other. Drill holes in sides again, so that when they are nested the align up. The top bucket also gets holes drilled into the bottom so the leachate can drain into the bottom one. You still need the lid.


The bottom layer I just have non-biodegradable packing peanuts (the biodegradable dissolve in water) round 3-4 inches worth. This is the area where the leachate will collect – do NOT mistake this for TEA – tea is different. Then you add the layer of bedding = shredded paper soaked in water then “squeezed dry – or just spray with water for the same “dampened” affect. Then you just start tossing in.

Bedding is where they will ALL congregate if they do not like if they do not like their environment. Its natural to see some there but just some – not all.

You would want to set this up a week or 2 before you get your worms. Remember that they do not eat what you throw in there – they eat what grows on what you throw in. So if you throw in an apple and you see them on the apple they are not eating apple but what is growing on it.

Worm Favorites include: Banana (whole or just the peel) & cornmeal – from what I have observed I think the cornmeal is some kind of aphrodisiac – don’t ask.....OK fine...usually they mate “normally” but I have witnessed what can only be explained as an orgy & I truly do attribute this to the cornmeal. I got them before I got chickens and was obsessed with them. I tackle life one obsession @ a time. If you fish you can make a small bin and feed them predominately garlic & you will have some killer garlic verm’s.

Dislikes: Same as chickens – citrus & salt

Then throw in the worms and put on the lid. Its very easy to over feed to begin with – wait till they move into the “newest” area before you add more. Your population has not established itself yet. When you do go to add more do the same thing – bedding & ?.....you know whatever, you will find yourself slowing adding more and more @ a faster rate as your population increases.

A healthy bin should smell kind earthy.

Some people make a worm bin out of 2 – 5 gallon pails that can fit into each other. Drill holes in sides again, so that when they are nested the align up. The top bucket also gets holes drilled into the bottom so the leachate can drain into the bottom one. You still need the lid.

Problems:

Bin smells funny – either its too wet or overstocked with food. If too wet then add in dry shredded paper to absorb. If overstocked – then remove extra food preferably anything with no mold on it yet and add more “bedding”.

Fruit Fly Infestation: Is very common, too avoid I freeze any & all uncooked veggies & fruits first then throw in the bin, I think this also helps speed up the decomposition process.
If you get an infestation in you bin, put Apple Cider Vinegar in a saucer & put in the bin – they will be drawn to it & then drown.

HTH
N

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

another tip
Don't feed them until almost all signs of the last feeding are gone. over feeding can cause excessive moisture, mites, and fruit flies. If you do over feed (never happens to me

) you can tell when you open your bin. It can look like a mass Exodus with everyone up around the top of the bin. I feed these ungrateful buggers to the hens, then leave the lid off for a day or so to help dry out the bin.

If you want to fatten them up you can feed some hen layer crumbles (not to much or they'll get protein poisoning and die).

 

[countryboy]

That is neat, glad the made it in a yard friendly green instead of just brown or that gray that shows scale after awhile.

 

[Southern28Chick]

DH attached my two 55 gallon rain drums to the gutters yesterday...next is my worm bin. We're going to make one ourselves and collect our own worms.

To collect worms just put a wet piece of cardboard on the ground overnight or leave it there a day or two. When you lift up the cardboard...there's your worms.

I have millions of worms living in my compost pile too.

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

There has been lots of scientific research done on feeding worms to chickens. Not a safe practice by any means. Earthworms often harbor the eggs & larvae of parasites that are bad news for your chooks.

Comments on feeding poultry with earthworms and on scavenging poultry and pest control

1/ Feeding poultry with earthworms:

Various experiments have been conducted on the use of earthworms for feeding poultry, especially in Benin (see Vorsters) and in the Philippines (see Barcelo and Barcelo, University of La Union). Most results were disappointing: the reason is that earthworms are intermediate hosts for Cestodes, like Davainea or Railletina.

Two possibilities:
- To kill and dry the earthworms before using them as feed.
- To deworm poultry on a regular basis.

 

[joe28532]

I thought I had three female rhode Island reds, but now I'm not so sure. One is growing a bright red comb and beard, how can I tell for sure before it starts crowing???

 

[eggzettera]

Night crawlers are not for a worm bin, they are different. Red Wrigglers are smaller and well.....red not brown. You can find them in your yard though, google images and you will be easily be able to tell the difference.....HTH