How to Use Earthworms As an Animal Feed

Worms provide needed protein to poultry.

Worms provide excellent nourishment in animal feed, particularly in poultry animal feed. Worms, both live and dried, add protein to the feed which is important to boost the nutritional content. Through vermicomposting, a poultry keeper can easily and inexpensively keep a continuous supply of worms available to add to the poultry feed while using the compost to enrich a garden topsoil.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden bin with a cover
• Leaves and wood chips
• Organic matter (kitchen scraps, vegetarian, non-dairy)
• Shovel

Instructions

1. Use redworms for animal feed. Redworms survive well in the vermicomposting organic-rich environment which allows worm cultivation for animal feed. Redworms reproduce themselves every six weeks, resulting in a continuing supply. The vermicomposting process continues throughout the year because redworms survive well in the moisture of a year-round vermicomposting pile.

2. 

   Composting cultivates worms.

   Cultivate the worms through the vermicomposting system. Prepare a composting bin by putting 4 to 6 inches of course wood chips in an old wooden crate (some air should circulate through cracks or holes). Fill the crate with leaves and wood scraps, the "bedding." Add composting materials (old food scraps) continuously, placing them in a different area of the bin each time to maximize the bedding. Keep the compost moist with frequent water spraying. Add the first culture of worms after about a month of composting. Every few months, push the old compost to one side of the bin and add new bedding to start composting on the other side. Always keep the bin closed.

3. 

   Use a wood crate where air circulates as a composting bin.

   Harvest the worms from the active top layer of the compost bin. Harvest the worms on a surface area and return the composting material to the compost bin.

4. Put the worms directly into the poultry coop and allow the poultry to eat them from the ground.

5. Dry the worms and grind them up to add to the regular poultry feed. Dry worms by putting them in an oven with an electric lightbulb or gas pilot light for several hours.

Tips & Warnings

• You can purchase redworms through an online worm supply company.

References

• Lions Grip: Worms
• Journey To Forever: Farm Poultry

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Worm Farming Secrets: Buy Worms