Compost worms?

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Randomusername
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Compost worms?

Post by Randomusername » Sat Jun 25, 2016 11:14 am

Silly question but I think Gytha would have fun with it. I have a worm compost bin on my back porch. The worms are red wigglers. Is it ok to feed one to my bird now and then? canaries eat insects in the wild so I'd assume not. Also, if anyone is curious, a worm bin makes the most beautiful compost you've ever seen! The bird and dog get the "good" vegetable scraps and the worms eat the rest!

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cindy
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Re: Compost worms?

Post by cindy » Sat Jun 25, 2016 2:30 pm

I would not feed worms to your birds, if they are eating table scraps and decomposing foods it may open your bird up to bacteria, fungal and other pathogens

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Re: Compost worms?

Post by Sally » Sat Jun 25, 2016 11:50 pm

One of the most successful breeders of Strawberry finches in the U.S. has her birds on a large sun porch. One of the things she does is to keep a small kiddie pool filled with compost that her birds can forage through at will. I don't know if she has red wigglers in her compost, it would be interesting to find out.
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Re: Compost worms?

Post by Stuart whiting » Sun Jun 26, 2016 12:48 pm

cindy wrote: I would not feed worms to your birds, if they are eating table scraps and decomposing foods it may open your bird up to bacteria, fungal and other pathogens
Quite agree, however feeding other firms of live food IE meal worms and maggots etc are different because these can be cleaned through over a period of about 3 days or so in a bucket if bran or maise meal :D

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Re: Compost worms?

Post by cindy » Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:47 pm

Does she use fresh veggies or table scraps? Sally, I know the person you are talking about, she is on some of the FBk groups...she feeds a variety of tiny insects.

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Sally
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Re: Compost worms?

Post by Sally » Sun Jun 26, 2016 3:00 pm

Nancy said she has angle worms in her compost pile on her sun porch, but she has never seen the birds eat the angle worms. She said they may eat the larval stage of various insects.
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Re: Compost worms?

Post by cindy » Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:53 pm

think she feeds wingless fruit flies too...she has quiet the set up for her birds!!!!

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