Comments on: Poultry Feed http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/ Red Wiggler Worms, European Nightcrawlers and loads of helpful Worm Composting Information Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:46:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Cindy http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-34176 Cindy Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:05:10 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-34176 Eve - weevils (or flour mites as you call them) can be found in almost every flour and grain product. When I bring flour, grains, rice, oats, etc., and dry pet food home from the store I place it immediately in the freezer for 72 hours - a week and then I place it in airtight containers. This kills the bugs and eggs. Eve – weevils (or flour mites as you call them) can be found in almost every flour and grain product. When I bring flour, grains, rice, oats, etc., and dry pet food home from the store I place it immediately in the freezer for 72 hours – a week and then I place it in airtight containers. This kills the bugs and eggs.

]]> By: Stephen Shaw http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-31086 Stephen Shaw Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:19:24 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-31086 Two months ago I asked the question " Can you use dry catfood ( 11% fat ) to feed worms? ". I put about 1000 red wigglers in a Rubbermaid tub with bedding and a lot of the catfood. they have multiplied and seem to be thriving. Since I was able to get several hundred pounds of the feed free, I will probably put it in my compost pile and let them have at it! Steve Two months ago I asked the question ” Can you use dry catfood ( 11% fat ) to feed worms? “. I put about 1000 red wigglers in a Rubbermaid tub with bedding and a lot of the catfood. they have multiplied and seem to be thriving. Since I was able to get several hundred pounds of the feed free, I will probably put it in my compost pile and let them have at it!

Steve

]]> By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-30515 Bentley Tue, 31 May 2011 21:08:01 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-30515 Interesting question, Stephen! I'd be a wee bit careful with it given the extra fat content, but yeah it's certainly worth testing on a small scale. Please do keep us posted! Kind regards Bentley Interesting question, Stephen!
I’d be a wee bit careful with it given the extra fat content, but yeah it’s certainly worth testing on a small scale. Please do keep us posted!

Kind regards

Bentley

]]> By: Stephen Shaw http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-30487 Stephen Shaw Sun, 29 May 2011 15:50:27 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-30487 I have access (free) to a lot of Purina Catfood that is out of code and can't be sold. Has anyone tried using this product with worms? Most of the ingredients are the same as Worm Chow. My only concern is that the fat content is 11%, much higher than Worm Chow. Unless someone says NO DON'T I will probably try it in a small test bed and post the results. I have access (free) to a lot of Purina Catfood that is out of code and can’t be sold. Has anyone tried using this product with worms? Most of the ingredients are the same as Worm Chow. My only concern is that the fat content is 11%, much higher than Worm Chow. Unless someone says NO DON’T I will probably try it in a small test bed and post the results.

]]> By: Rick Szekeres http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-29882 Rick Szekeres Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:44:50 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-29882 When I saw the title, "Poultry Feed", I thought it was going to be about using surplus compost worms as chicken feed. Not so. It's about actually buying commerical feed for worms, which just baffles me. Anyhoo, let me tell you about my idea regarding chicken feed. I've got to warn you that I think "outside the box"... way outside. While researching natural alternatives to commerical cat litter, I read that unmedicated chick starter ($12 per 50 pounds) works quite well and is much cheaper than the store-bought stuff ($12 per 42 pounds). I then read on this site that Bentley had successfully used pet waste as worm chow. That got me to thinking. Imagine an 18" deep pit with a chicken coop above it. In the pit, I would use the deep litter method (adding bedding atop the chicken waste and compositing in-situ). But, I would add worms to work over the chicken manure/bedding mix. As an added bonus, the chickens would get quite a bit of Winter exercise hunting for worms to eat in the bedding while scratching madly in the deep litter, thereby providing additional tilling. Jumping back to the cat litter alternative (chicken feed)... I would add that (after use) to the deep litter and have the worms and chickens work that. As chickens are known for scavenging on manure piles for undigested grain, the "cat litter" would get recylced as either chicken or worm food and hopefully, that would limit the worm predation by the resident chickens. Is this a radical concept or what??? Other than the typical drawback of cat waste (toxoplasmosis), are there any drawbacks provided the compost is not used in the garden? When I saw the title, “Poultry Feed”, I thought it was going to be about using surplus compost worms as chicken feed. Not so. It’s about actually buying commerical feed for worms, which just baffles me. Anyhoo, let me tell you about my idea regarding chicken feed. I’ve got to warn you that I think “outside the box”… way outside. While researching natural alternatives to commerical cat litter, I read that unmedicated chick starter ($12 per 50 pounds) works quite well and is much cheaper than the store-bought stuff ($12 per 42 pounds). I then read on this site that Bentley had successfully used pet waste as worm chow. That got me to thinking. Imagine an 18″ deep pit with a chicken coop above it. In the pit, I would use the deep litter method (adding bedding atop the chicken waste and compositing in-situ). But, I would add worms to work over the chicken manure/bedding mix. As an added bonus, the chickens would get quite a bit of Winter exercise hunting for worms to eat in the bedding while scratching madly in the deep litter, thereby providing additional tilling. Jumping back to the cat litter alternative (chicken feed)… I would add that (after use) to the deep litter and have the worms and chickens work that. As chickens are known for scavenging on manure piles for undigested grain, the “cat litter” would get recylced as either chicken or worm food and hopefully, that would limit the worm predation by the resident chickens. Is this a radical concept or what??? Other than the typical drawback of cat waste (toxoplasmosis), are there any drawbacks provided the compost is not used in the garden?

]]> By: Bonnie Van Meter http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-29399 Bonnie Van Meter Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:23:15 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-29399 Layer mash would be good as it has extra calcium in it for the hens to lay nice strong eggs....Somehow I don't think the ground oyster shell is small enough to feed the worms calcium like we did our parrots in CALIF. Layer mash would be good as it has extra calcium in it for the hens to lay nice strong eggs….Somehow I don’t think the ground oyster shell is small enough to feed the worms calcium like we did our parrots in CALIF.

]]> By: Gwen http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-25229 Gwen Thu, 06 May 2010 23:31:26 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-25229 I am excited to try the worm chow and or the Chicken feed.. I live in Central Oregon where it is nothing but farms and more farms... I dont know if I can bring myself to ask for worm chow at the feed store but I can feel good about chicken food!! Yee haw!!!! Here we go!!! I am excited to try the worm chow and or the Chicken feed.. I live in Central Oregon where it is nothing but farms and more farms… I dont know if I can bring myself to ask for worm chow at the feed store but I can feel good about chicken food!! Yee haw!!!! Here we go!!!

]]> By: Al Wright http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-24378 Al Wright Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:27:26 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-24378 I also use the mash for my worms along with oatmeal and wheat bran. It's like a breakfast buffet for my earth warriors. I keep it in my shed sealed in a plastic tub. I never thought about the mites, I did it just to keep the mice out. Mix a bit of sheepoop and yum, yum,they love it! I use it at one end of the bin to lure them so I can add more coir at the otrher end then the cycle continues. Coir, of course, is edible bedding and makes a great bin mix. I also use the mash for my worms along with oatmeal and wheat bran. It’s like a breakfast buffet for my earth warriors. I keep it in my shed sealed in a plastic tub. I never thought about the mites, I did it just to keep the mice out. Mix a bit of sheepoop and yum, yum,they love it! I use it at one end of the bin to lure them so I can add more coir at the otrher end then the cycle continues. Coir, of course, is edible bedding and makes a great bin mix.

]]> By: taropal http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-24367 taropal Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:10:39 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-24367 Hi It is my first post... I use chicken feed all the time in my bins. I use them as an indicator when the worms are ready to be fed regular food after a harvest/transportation stress. I simply scatter them thinly on top of the bedding after 3 days of resting period. A handful can take up to 7 days to completely consumed. After the first batch is gone, I scatter another handful. This time, it may take only 3 days to disappear. After that, I know the worms are hungry enough to buffet on anything I bring to the bin. Hi It is my first post…

I use chicken feed all the time in my bins. I use them as an indicator when the worms are ready to be fed regular food after a harvest/transportation stress. I simply scatter them thinly on top of the bedding after 3 days of resting period. A handful can take up to 7 days to completely consumed. After the first batch is gone, I scatter another handful. This time, it may take only 3 days to disappear. After that, I know the worms are hungry enough to buffet on anything I bring to the bin.

]]> By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-farming/poultry-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-24333 Bentley Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:44:34 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=2023#comment-24333 Igor - keep me posted on how they like the feed. Sounds interesting! --------------------- Vee - thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Worm Chow. I will definitely have to try it at some point! Hopefully my local feed supply store (which carries a variety of Purina products) will be able to order it. --------------------- Kami - nice to see you here again. Thanks for the info on the sodium. Hopefully the combination of continual flushing and plant uptake will help to limit any issues in that department. --------------------- Eve - wow, I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the info. I don't think my wife would be too pleased to have our flour etc infested with mites. She puts up with a lot as it is! Typos? What typos? ;-) Igor – keep me posted on how they like the feed. Sounds interesting!
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Vee – thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Worm Chow. I will definitely have to try it at some point! Hopefully my local feed supply store (which carries a variety of Purina products) will be able to order it.
———————
Kami – nice to see you here again. Thanks for the info on the sodium. Hopefully the combination of continual flushing and plant uptake will help to limit any issues in that department.
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Eve – wow, I wasn’t aware of that. Thanks for the info. I don’t think my wife would be too pleased to have our flour etc infested with mites. She puts up with a lot as it is!

Typos? What typos?
;-)

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