Worms for chickens

[HenHoneyGirl]

I'm thinking about starting a worm box and growing worms for the chickens, just wondering if anyone here is doing that and if it's worth the hassle.

 

[Jensownzoo]

What kind of worms?

 

[HenHoneyGirl]

Oh I guess I should have specified! There's more kinds of worms than just earth worms. I was thinking earth worms, good for the garden, good for the chickens.

 

[Jensownzoo]

I've done red wigglers before, pre-chicken times. Very easy. Unfortunately I ended up with a serious fruit fly infestation and had to shut the whole operation down. I have been thinking of starting it up again, but I need to find a better place than my basement!

 

[nissalovescats]

I have tried raising earthworms and mealworms for my flock. My earthworm bins have never worked out so far. I have mealworms growing in two three-drawer plastic storage units. I like the mealworms because even if their bins are neglected for quite a while they can recover. I think I will raise Canadian nightcrawlers seasonally in an outdoor bin this year, because I can also use them in the garden beds.

 

[HenHoneyGirl]

Do meal worms smell? The bag of dried meal worms i get at the feed store definitely has an unpleasant odor. Do the live ones smell just as bad?

 

[Jensownzoo]

They tend to smell like their bedding as long as you keep it free of dead worms and mouldering food. The frass doesn't smell particularly pleasant, but it falls to the bottom of the container and is covered by the aforementioned bedding. If it starts getting whiffy, you add more bedding or sift the frass out and dump it out in the garden (plants LOVE it).