How to Raise Earthworms With Rabbits

Worms and rabbits can co-exist well together because the nutrients in rabbit droppings and rabbit food contain the ideal mixture of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium for optimal worm health. Many rabbit farmers use the space under their rabbit cages to grow and harvest worms and compost. The process of growing worms with rabbits is easy, and can help control the stench and insect attraction that commonly occurs around rabbit beds.

Things You'll Need

  • Hose
  • Leaf compost
  • 2x12 boards
  • Nails
  • Shovel
  • Pitchfork
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Instructions

    • 1

      Build worm beds underneath existing rabbit cages. The rabbit cages should be at least three feet above the worm beds. Dig a trench under the cage extending one foot out from the cage on all sides. Dig the trench 12 inches deep. You can also construct a square bed from 2x12s and nails to place on a surface that you cannot dig under (such as over cement).

    • 2

      Fill the beds with three to four inches of leaf compost. Moisten the leaves until they are wet enough to leak water when you squeeze them. Add another one to two inches of rabbit manure and mix with the shovel. Mix the bed once a day, and add enough water to keep the manure moist. The mixture should be wet enough to break down the rabbit droppings. Position the rabbit cages over the worm beds so that all new droppings fall into the worm beds.

    • 3

      Add 300 to 500 worms per square foot of manure bed. You can add less worms, but they will not be able to work as effectively at turning the manure into compost. If you are raising the worms to sell, you probably don't want to use more than 200 worms per square foot to allow the worms enough nutrients and food to grow large.

    • 4

      Maintain the worm beds. Add an additional inch of leaves two to three times a month and mix the beds with a shovel or pitchfork. Remove urine spots from the worm pile with the shovel about once a week. This prevents the mixture from getting too salty for the worms.

    • 5

      Move the compost into one half of the bed after four to six months. Fill the other side of the bed with new compost and rabbit droppings. Over the next couple of weeks the worms will move to the new compost, and the old compost can be removed and sold, spread over a garden, or set aside for future use.