Can Red Wiggler Worms Eat Horse Manure and Turn It Into Worm Castings?

[@crapton9002]

Calcium carbonate or garden lime takes care of Ph. You can use hot manure with it. De-wormer is the thing to watch out for.

[@greencountryworms]

Good point. I'm thinking my compost worms wouldn't do well with a fresh dose of de-wormer.

[@crapton9002]

@@greencountryworms This video on Rumble claims he took 15 pounds of worms fed hot cow manure, lime and moldy leaf bedding and turned it into 400 lbs after 4 months with red wigglers.

[@crapton9002]

@@greencountryworms Tracy Stafford Vermiculture from 2018.

[@greencountryworms]

@@crapton9002 Thanks! I'm checking out.

[@crapton9002]

I'm just getting started in Vermiculture S of Orlando Fl. and that is the method I plan on using. Here I'll use ANC and Blue Indian.

[@pakworms]

I don't have experience with horse manure but i always add worms in cattle manure ( which colled down for at least 10 days) and you won't believe the results they multiply faster than other things..

[@greencountryworms]

I agree, I get good reproduction rates too. I just can't buy worm bedding (peat moss, coco coir, etc.) when there are so many free sources of compost worm food.

[@pakworms]

@@greencountryworms yeah its free manure and that's why they are called manure worms..

[@greencountryworms]

@@pakworms amen

[@donnabrooks1173]

Like the video. There is so much conflicting information when you googling on what to feed or not to feed worms. Some say not to feed manure, other sources say it is OK or good. I would rather hear someone speak from experience. I am a newbie and don't want to kill my worm babies.

[@greencountryworms]

I think the right answer is: "it depends". I only use horse manure in an outdoor application. It may not be a good option for an indoor worm bin. I've been using composted horse manure for probably 4-5 years and haven't had any problems. There are multiple ways to do vermicomposting and I believe the right way is the way that keeps your worms alive, healthy, and reproducing.

[@daltonbreaux]

This video is from first hand experience kzbin.info/www/bejne/joXUq4ylZZmSmNk

[@rickster9993]

I may be wrong but I always thought horse and cattle manure was primarily nitrogen based.

[@greencountryworms]

Hi Rickster! Carbon to Nitrogen ratios of Horse Manure can range from 25:1 to 50:1. A lot of it depends on what kind of bedding is in the horse stalls. A lot of horse stalls have wood chips, wood shavings, or other woody materials for the horse. Depending on where you source your horse manure, it can have the proper carbon to nitrogen ratios from the start. I'm not sure about cow manure though. I would think a cow manure pile would be much higher nitrogen and less carbon.

[@NanasWorms]

I got quite a bit of horse manure for my garden and worm farms. I waited a few months, then I tested to see if it was safe for worms (it was). I'm now testing it for persistent herbicides from any hay the horses ate. I'm using green beans for the test. My worms love manure as a bedding! ~ Sandra

[@greencountryworms]

@@NanasWorms Horse Manure is definitely my favorite bedding and food source for worms. My plants do really well with the finished worm castings. I try not to purchase food or bedding for my worms. I spoke with a rancher one time and he told me that they produce so much horse manure waste that they have to fill up a dumpster and have it hauled to the landfill regularly.

[@greencountryworms]

@@NanasWorms Here is a great article that I found on the persistent herbicides: edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG416

[@NanasWorms]

@@greencountryworms Thanks so much! I used to get horse manure from an organic farmer, but he told me recently he can no longer trust the hay he buys. We keep looking for another local source. Information is power!

[@northeastworms]

My worms love horse manure, is a staple.of my bedding

[@greencountryworms]

I think it's one of the best options for vermicomposting. It's renewable and you can find it without looking too hard in a lot of areas. I try to pay little to nothing for everything that I feed my worms. If we purchase a lot on inputs, then it kind of takes the recycling piece out of vermicomposting. The rancher that I get horse manure from produces so much that he has to dump some of it into a dumpster to be hauled off a few times per month.