This makes more sense when hanging rabbit cages over worm bins, first since the ammonia chases worms away from some areas and secondly the hard outer shell of rabbit manure is actually only penetrable by the smaller worms .

What actually occurs is the smaller newly hatched worms of a 1/16^th of an inch or smaller penetrate the rabbit manure’s harder outer shell by slithering into crevices of the manure and begin to break down the individual pieces of manure. The larger worms congregate to feed on the scraps once the little worms have broken down the manure to mouth size particles for the larger ones, hence making them more of a parasite in these situations.

At the same time this made more sense to those offering worms raised under rabbit cages since they offer smaller worms. I know of one company for which offers 1 pound of African Nightcrawlers which run 1,000-1,200 worms per pound. In essence red wigglers run 800 to 1,000 per pound making the African’s they sell even smaller than red wigglers. This is because of two reasons, first being the small worms have access to more readily available feed. Secondly over time, a worm bin under rabbit cages will usually become crowded with small worms hence stunting there growth until they are thinned out and given time to grow.

The reason I began to get hooked on the rabbit manure is the fact that dried rabbit manure contains 20% crude protein, is pH neutral and is a source for numerous minerals…

I have tried shredding rabbit manure from under the cages, however ran into a main issue with the ammonia and how it reacts with the shredded manure. The solution was to build a separator which would enable me to harvest clean rabbit manure while allowing the urine to run outside the building.

Rabbit Manure Separator

Even though rabbit manure is considered cold manure, once shredded it will heat up to approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit if piled 5” high over a 3 to 4 day period. The higher the pile the warmer the manure gets. By limiting the heat to 97-100 degrees I allow for the desired microbes to flourish.

After 5 to 7 days the material has lowered back down to 85 degrees give or take and actually has a fresh earthy smell to it even though it still looks like shredded rabbit manure with a little lighter coloring to it. This is when I have fed to the worms covering the beds with 1” or more of the feed.

Shredded Rabbit Manure

The worms will migrate and live while devouring this food material and growing faster. At the same time since they are eating so much food at this rate, the accumulation of worm castings sped up dramatically.

Worms Living in Shredded Rabbit Manure

I have played with one additional step to this method which has even sped up the worm’s growth that much more, however am still working out the details.

The original worm harvester was running a motor of 3,500 RPM’s which I modified for additional vibration, when I noticed a pile of small fragments in the light. Upon taking the motor apart I had found the shaft was wearing down. Hence with the speed of the motor, this could eventually lead to a serious health hazard!

Since so many have been emailing asking for the worm harvester plans, I decided to build one based off a manual design I built for a local couple here in South Carolina which would be much safer.

The new design encompasses a trommel style which still utilizes two different screen sizes for my purposes. It runs smooth and is much quieter than the shaker style worm harvester.

Another benefit to the newer model is the fact it is simpler to build and does not require some higher end tools to be used during the build process.

This model can be used to harvest worms and worm castings as well as a compost sifter for your garden soil mixes.

I am currently working on the plans for this new model and will have them available very soon. Sign up for the Worm Composting Newsletter if you are not already since I will be announcing in there as soon as I have finished them up.

The video below illustrates some of the basics to the worm harvester. It is also broken down to show how the machine will screen composted materials and sift down the different sized materials. The last part shows how the harvester will harvest worms, cocoons and worm castings into different bins.

Enjoy,

Bruce

The Alabama Jumper has two main beneficial components. First, it is an excellent composting earthworm for your garden or lawn areas even in hard packed clay and sandy soils. They burrow deep, aerating the soil coming to the surface to eat and leave worm castings on the surface areas.

Alabama Jumpers also make an excellent fishing worm. With their tough exterior skin permitting them to burrow through the toughest terrains, they remain on the hook better than most fishing worms, including the European Nightcrawlers.

Well onto the humorous video, enjoy…

Bruce

Is any type of shredded paper ok?  Everyone says shredded newspaper and never mentions shredded paper such as what would come out of an office shredder.

Thanks for your patience.   Joyce

Joyce, earthworms you are digging up in your yard live in the soil. The red wigglers will not survive in soil as they are strictly a composting worm, eating decaying organic products. In short, yes either let the earthworms go or try placing some decomposed material if you have some, leaves, shredded paper, cardboard… in a pile and let them go.

As for the type of paper to use for your red wigglers I highly recommend you stick to shredded newspaper, brown, non waxed cardboard…

I tried using some office paper which I had shredded and placed on one side of a worm bin. The worms did not care for it and actually stayed away from it. My guess is that it was probably bleached paper, which much of your white paper is in order to get the brilliant white color. Bleach and worms do not mix!

If you wish to test some paper, you can always place a little in a corner of your bin to see how the worms will react. In fact I do this with new foods and grain mixes I come up with prior to utilizing throughout our bins.

I will be shipping your worms out Monday, July 13, 2009… Thanks for the order and let us know how you make out

Bruce

P.S. Check out our all new Red Worm Online Store!