Breeder Bins - What to Look For and What It Means - 4 Bin Comparison

[@leobaltz2057]

Jane those worms look phenomenal!!! Happy worms!! Always love your content!!

[@NanasWorms]

I'm grateful for you, too, Jayne! One of my goals is to go through recyclables/compostables. Having my worms eat them instead of sending them to an outside recycling depot makes me feel good. Also, I do it for worm therapy! ~ Sandra

[@RockinWorms]

Why thank you Sandra! That’s very kind of you to say ❤️. Mutual appreciation club member here 🤣. Hubby and I marvel over how much stuff we’ve been able to divert away from the landfill because of the animals. We get kind of annoyed when we actually have to throw something away 😆. I’m a big fan of worm therapy too ❤️.

[@DianeHartwick-vk8mw]

Tthank you your great.I can watch for hours and learn something all the time.😊

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Diane! Thanks! It pleases me to no end that you’re finding the videos helpful ❤️🪱👍

[@HikingHermit1975]

Always thankful for your videos and instruction. The information you bring out and they presentation style is so easy to follow. Thanks

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Douglas! Thanks for the positive feedback ❤️. I’m so glad you are enjoying - and learning - from them! ❤️🪱

[@lynnegialanze8650]

Great information and really useful how you show the camera close ups Thank you

[@RockinWorms]

Hi again! Those close ups are the work of Cameraman! We’re very lucky to have him ❤️

[@StrawberryRiverRedWigglers]

👏 Great video

[@RockinWorms]

@@StrawberryRiverRedWigglers Thanks!

[@dannybell926]

Hey, new subscriber here.😊 i really enjoy the few videos I've watched thus far. About to go back to the beginning and start watching them all. One thing i have learned is that its a myth that clear bins can't be used. Its clearly not an issue for you. Thank you

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Danny! Welcome to the Castings Crew! Please be forgiving on my earliest videos 😳🙄🤣. I’ve not had any issues with the clear bins as you’ve noted. I now have some babies in a ‘dark bin’ - Orange Julius. I don’t expect they’re to be any difference in their growth or behavior due to bin opaqueness. ❤️🪱🪱

[@geribouwman3664]

I am new to worm farming and I thank you for educating me.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Geri! Welcome to the wonderful wacky world of worm wrangling! I hope you’ll join the Castings Crew 🤗. It’s a great community and we share lots of information 👍❤️🪱

[@geribouwman3664]

We love learning from you.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Geri! Awwww you are sweet ❤️🥰. I’m glad to be helping you on your worm adventure 🪱🪱

[@wormsforlife7352]

Great video 👍👍 I really am happy that you are trying different breeding techniques. This stuff is important for understanding and learning. Yeah, the 21-day breed time is just for maximizing cocoon production. The 21-days is because under ideal conditions the first cocoons made on day 1 will start hatching on day 22. I know worm farmers that did RWs back in the 80's and they would use 1lb. of RWs to 1gal. of bedding every 10 days. They still had prolific amounts of cocoons. The nursery would as a result run 2 weeks longer. They developed their 10-day system for having an accurate account of lbs. of worms on hand. The worms at that dense of a population still grew to their potential because they were eating so rapidly. They would also produce pure castings in the 10-day system. I will say the 10-day system did produce some of the biggest, fattest and healthiest RWs I had ever seen. They would still minus worms to keep 1 lb. per gal. For example, if they had 16 lbs. in 16 gallons and after 10 days, they had 17 lbs. of worms they would then bump it up to 17 gallons of bedding (the worms are growing and putting on weight). The method worked for growing and breeding the worms. They would use that method once they came out of the nursery. They grew in batches quite fast. Well nowadays that particular worm farm has moved over to ANCs and doing a 14- day method. Enjoy worms and have a great Day!

[@melodylamour6123]

Ok, I thought I was hearing things, a bin complete in 16 days, say what!? Then please tell me why it's taking 6 months for us newbies? I'm high-ly confused😅😂😅😂

[@wormsforlife7352]

​@@melodylamour6123 It is the bedding! Also amount and size/age of the worms have a role to play. The first thing to understand is that worms will eat anything that fits in their mouth. With the process I have been describing Compost or Peat (reed sedge) are the choice of beddings. The first step is to use a soil pulverizer/shredder then a sifting through an 1/8" screen or smaller and then repeat if necessary. Most large-scale worm farms use Reed Sedge as bedding. Their concentration is on growing worms and producing castings the most efficient way possible. What is most commonly taught is how to reduce household waste (food scraps & wastepaper) using worms. Giving a wonderful garden fertilizer in return. That takes any ware from 90-180 days. Can be done in as little as 60 days with a good inoculation of microbes. These would be called bed-run vermicomposting bins. With the methods Jane is using (breeder bins) I suspect she has such a high turnover to castings because of her combination tabletop compost and cow manure. That combination is loaded with microbes and bacteria (she calls it biota). The biota helps the bedding breakdown very fast, also the biota seems to keep the bedding moist to the point that all a worm has to do is open their mouth and suck the bedding in like a vacuum. Yeah, you heard right 16 days. I hope this explanation helps and clears up some of the confusion.

[@RockinWorms]

@@melodylamour6123 What Wormsforlife said! The foundation is the bedding 100%. And the foundation of that is the pre-compost I make for essentially free! Can’t get any better than that! Then yes, having a fair few worms in the bin eating their little 5 hearts out is the next best thing to have. I started out just like you and most everyone else. Basic bedding and food scraps. Took forever for the worms to process. Then I did a bunch of researching and thinking 😆. I wanted to absolutely use food scraps and paper waste and needed a better way to actually use them in the worm bin. And I am too impatient and greedy (!) for castings to wait 6 months or more for a single bin of castings. That’s when I began playing with the indoor pre-composting idea. Honestly, I’ve been blown away with how great it works for the worms and getting castings in record time with minimal cost and even time commitment. I was talking to my camera man (❤️) this afternoon about a video that talks about all of this and is a bit of a summary of where I was and where I am now 😊 with an emphasis on the bedding game changer. Wormsforlife did his usual fantastic job of explaining and sharing 👍👍. If you have any other questions at all please ask!!!! These discussions help everyone. Thanks for watching ❤️🪱❤️

[@melodylamour6123]

@@RockinWorms Thanks. Yes please, your camera man and yourself need to make that video. Surely, others are in awe of those of you who have gone before us. Today's video shocked me and not much does. I am not going to sell anything myself, but I am still fascinated by all you who do run a worm farm as a business. I know the little pieces we can glean from you all will help us with our tiny 1 or so bins for our home gardens or for those just wanting to close a trash loop.

[@melodylamour6123]

@@wormsforlife7352 I appreciate your detailed response to my sincere question. I'm in awe of y'all's knowledge. I loved the part where it is kept wet enough that the worms just opened their mouth and suck the food in like a vacuum, LOL. See now, that I understand perfectly fine. 😁

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

Hello Jayne 👋 Great video ❤ Full of info A breeding 💗🪱🪱💗couple 4th breeding bin👍🪱🪱👍 Your business is going to be ready on schedule 🪱👍🪱

[@RockinWorms]

I think so!! It’s exciting and a little scary both 😳😆

[@jimraelee]

great update... i think my breeder bin is a bit tooo wet. eating all the food, just not making castings, nor Cocoons.

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

I liked and watched completely 💗

[@RockinWorms]

Thanks Peggy! You’re the best! ❤️🪱❤️

[@lindaware3082]

Great video Jane 👍

[@abrahamgrc2243]

Love yout bins, my worms look healthy but for some reason I don't see cacoons (I don't know is that is well spelled haha) but incredible work. My question is, I don't see drainage on your bins, can you share why don't you have any? I don't know if I maybe miss that part.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Abraham! Welcome! Cocoons (or cacoons which seems to be more common outside North America) can be hard to spot until you train you eye to see them. If you have Indian blue worms their cocoons are very small and are really really hard to see. Red wiggler or European nightcrawler cocoons are relatively much larger and easier to spot. The first question regarding whether or not you have cocoons is this: do you see baby worms? Or even young worms if you haven’t added new worms to your bin for several months. If you see babies or very young worms then you have had cocoons. Period. So…. Do you see baby/young worms? 🪱

[@traceybier1128]

Hello, again! I have been binge watching your videos, and several others, and I am eager to get my bedding precomposted before my first worms arrive in a few weeks. Any advice on how to hasten the process? I appreciate you so much.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi again! Thanks again for your kind words! 🤗🥰. I appreciate the support ❤️ Have you gotten to the how to make indoor tabletop pre-compost playlist yet? I am also uploading a video on Tuesday that does a Q & A making pre-compost and answers I often get. I also included some ’advanced’ tips as well. That might help as well. In the meantime here’s some tips too 😊. Deeper containers work better/faster. It concentrates the mass and therefore the heat and moisture which the growing biota love. Tall and deep is better than squat and shallow when choosing containers. The standard 18-20 gallon totes are a great choice but if you can find taller and deeper, go with that. Increase the amount of nitrogen in the mix to closer to 65 carbon:45 nitrogen. Mix it very well and add generous liquid. I’ve actually backed off my liquid as I’ve found it still works very well in my large containers and it’s less work BUT it can slow the process down a little bit. You’re looking to speed it up - so keeping the mix more moist helps. Lastly you can add more inoculation right at the beginning. An activated packet of yeast will do the trick. But be aware that you really aren’t looking to get the heat above 133F, which is the top of the thermophilic bacteria range. 👍. Ok? 🪱🪱

[@traceybier1128]

That's enormously helpful! Thank you! I'm afraid I may have overloaded my deep bin with cardboard. But I am getting some coffee grounds tomorrow and will add the yeast as well.

[@RockinWorms]

@@traceybier1128 Glad to help! Could you remove some of the mix you already have (overloaded with carbon) and store it in a garbage bag or other tote or something? I suggest this for a couple of reasons. It’ll give you working room in your active bin to add in more nitrogen. I really suggest taking some of the mix out anyway and mixing the new coffee ground in that way (in a working tray) so there’s more chance of even distribution of the grounds. Secondly the mix you take out and store will continue to work and breakdown! You can then add this stuff back in when you either start a second heat cycle or start a whole new pre-compost batch. It’ll have active biota in it to jump start either process 👍. For the stored stuff just make sure it doesn’t dry out entirely, and as you’re checking that you’re also by default mixing it a bit and adding air into the mix, which the biota also need. It’s a twofer! I look forward to hearing your progress on this as well as on your new worms 😊👍🪱❤️

[@traceybier1128]

That's also great advice and I will follow it! I love how welcoming and helpful this community is.

[@traceybier1128]

I just love your videos. Im curious about the plastic that you cover the buns with. Where do you get them?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi! I do most of my grocery shopping at a warehouse type store. The chips are a 2 bags for one price and you place the 2 bags into a bigger plastic bag that has the bar code in it. It’s the bigger plastic bags that fit so well on my bins. I have also used the plastic bags that you place fresh meat purchases into. They work ok too. I tried using space bags that no longer worked but they tended to curl. Some worm wranglers use burlap. Over time the worms eat the burlap but it still works pretty well until that happens 😆🪱👍

[@LarryWileyWormFarm-ey8lp]

Jayne how long have you been raising worms. Me since this January.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Larry! I’ve had red wigglers about 18 months now I think. Like I’ve said before, I only ‘got serious’ in late February. Things really took off then 👍😎🪱❤️

[@billhightower7754]

How are you counting the worms?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Bill! Welcome! I literally pull out the worms one by one and count them as I put them into the new breeder bin. It goes pretty fast actually. Here’s a link to a video showing the worm being killed and placed into the new bin. I’m not counting on the video because I can’t multitask to count, talk and pull worms all at once 🤣. I don’t count the worms every time I reset either - I count every 2-4 cycles so the worm density can be maintained. Breeder Bins Managing to Success - Module 2: Moving Breeders to New Bin kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIink4V4gp6sfqM Ok? 👍😎🪱

[@kimhunter7853]

Hi Jane, Love all your videos. I’ve learned so much. One question tho….once you’ve set up your breeders, do you add any more bedding during the 21 day cycle? Cheers. Kim

[@RockinWorms]

@@kimhunter7853 Hi Kim! Welcome to the Castings Crew 😍🪱. No, I set them up on day 1 and don’t touch them again. That’s the process for me. That said I will peek after a day or so to be sure everything is ok. I had a bin heat up only twice after breeder set up but the peeking saved the day as I was able to reset the bin with new bedding and move on. I usually don’t remember to peek 2 weeks into the 21 day cycle but if I do I’m checking that the bin isn’t getting dry. It’s hard to get the moisture right every time! If it looks drier than I want I’ll spritz/spray the bin with water but NOT disturb the worms at all. If I don’t peek and the bedding does get on the dry side it only means that I won’t get quite as many cocoons this cycle. Hardly a disaster 😝🪱. Ok? 😊

[@kimhunter7853]

@@RockinWorms i usually have problems with too much moisture so that at the end of my 21 days, its too wet to sift out. I added more dry coir to help dry them down. I lid my bins as im worried about them escaping or the native ringtail possums eating them…not sure if they will but im not taking the chance. At the moment, I’ve lifted the lids and have a fan blowing over them to try and dry them down a little. Taking a chance they will be oki doki! thanks for the info, it helps a lot

[@RockinWorms]

@@kimhunter7853 If I am running a breeder bin for maximum cocoons then my bins will be too wet to sift at the end of the cycle too. However if I’m aiming for the sweet spot of max possible cocoons while still being able to soft castings at the end of the cycle then I’ll purposefully run the breeder bin on the drier side. I can get 2 gallons of sifted castings out of a 2.5-3 gallon starting bedding mix if I get the moisture ratio right. I’ve got an old video on that 😊. Of course I am talking about the bedding being the pre-compost. It’s much harder to get these results with other bedding materials. 🪱🪱

[@kimhunter7853]

@@RockinWorms yes, I now precompost based on your method…fantastic Method! I am aiming for that sweet spot too of both cocoons and castings. I’ll play around a little with the moisture content. Im pretty sure I’ve watch the video you mentioned too but I’ll go back and check..cheers!

[@quiltbylongarmcreativeexpr5409]

Are these Red Wigglers? They are a tan color.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi! Yes they are red wigglers! That’s the only kind of worm I have. Technically they are the eisenia species of which red wigglers and ENCs are the main subspecies 👍 Their coloration varies along the reddish spectrum. Also camera angle and lighting effects what comes across. 🪱🪱

[@rico99586]

What if you have only 200 breeder worms? What should the maximum dimensions of the bin be, and how many gallons of bedding? Thank you.

[@RockinWorms]

Hello! I’m posting a video within the next several hours (if the storms stop knocking out my Wi-Fi!!) that’ll show the data I collected from these breeder bins and my take-aways. With the data I’ll post you can make calculations for any breeder worm count and corresponding bedding amount! To cut to the chase for your specific question, which I appreciate you asking, the amount of bedding would be around 7/10th of a gallon for 200 breeders. As for the bin dimensions, any size where the bedding is at least 1” deep and not more than 4” deep would be appropriate. I would aim for a bin where the bedding is approximately 2” deep. Probably a boot box or sweater box size bin would work fine. I do run my breeder bins a bit on the deeper end (closer to 3”deep) than most other worm keepers. I started off with the 3” because that’s what I heard on KZbin that many worm keeper do, but I’ve noticed over time that the reality seems to be that their bins are much shallower 🤷‍♂️. But by then I’d switched to my new bedding mix and the worms process the vast majority of the deeper bedding within the 3 week cycle and I’m loathe to give up the castings I’d not get if I switched to shallower bedding. If you follow that 😆. So I’m sticking with the 3” deep bedding in my sized bins which is about 3 gallons of bedding in which I’ll set around 850 breeders. When you watch the new video in a few hours or so, and see the gazillion cocoons my breeders produced I think you’ll be quite amazed! I know I was 🪱❤️🪱!

[@razzledazzle8948]

Okay 😂😅

[@cegekarago1299]

what the number of cocoons like in the different bins like. The one with the fewest worms seems to have more cocoons.

[@RockinWorms]

Hello! Funny you should say that! I just literally pulled an all nighter and reset the breeders and counted the cocoons in the smaller bin. I’m going to hopefully do the same with the bigger bin hopefully tomorrow night 🤞. I’ll be sharing the results! Thanks so much for watching ❤️🪱

[@marvinparker7872]

Are big red worms the same as the wigglers thanks

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Marvin! Let’s put some parameters around your question 😊. If we say that ‘wigglers’ are defined as members of the esenia species then ‘big red worms’ could refer to European nightcrawlers which are indeed part of the esenia family. They are close cousins to esenia fetida worms, which are generally called red wigglers in the USA. Euros are usually bigger than red wigglers/fetidas and still have the bulgy clitellum and yellow tail. They may be a deeper red and the head and tail have a slightly different shape. Their segments are also less visible than on the fetida/red wiggler. All that said, there are a LOT of worm species and composting worms are only a very few of them. Any random big red worm could be…. Anything! Not all worms do well in the limited space and depth of a worm bin either. Lastly, just sticking with the common worms used for composting, there are Indian blues (entirely different species from the esenias but often sold as ‘red worms’ by big worm sellers) and African nightcrawlers (ANCs) which are yet another different species of composting worms people commonly have/buy (although not as much due to their heat sensitivity) but rarely sold as ‘red worms’ or ‘red wigglers’. Did I clear things up or make it worse?😳🤣. Please ask again if needed ❤️. It’s a bit confusing as names of worms are tossed around a bit sloppily AND there’s been new research into worms and new information is coming out - like the genetic fact that euros are indeed in the esenia family when previously they were thought to be their own species. It’s an exciting time to be in the worm ecosystem ❤️🪱❤️!

[@LarryWileyWormFarm-ey8lp]

I now jave abput 5k worms.

[@RockinWorms]

Good for you! They can multiply quite quickly. Not as quick as what you’ll see if you google it but pretty fast anyway. Considering I started with 2 small handfuls plus one purchase of 100 worms in late February, the growth in my worm population is something I’m quite happy with 🤩. Today hubby is once again adding castings and frass to one section of the planting area (this area is not the garden per se). I have lots of both so happy to get it out of the house and into use on trees and plants. 👍🪱❤️