who has raised worms under rabbit hutches?

[Leahs Lovely Lops]

Ok so I am thinking of putting in worm beds under the hutches. I have a few questions.
1. Has anyone had issues with the urine affecting the worms. I have seen some articles say you need to dig out the areas where they tend to go pee.
2. The area where my hutch's are is very shaded but holds water for about 3 days during the really rainy season. I have the hutches up on bricks and if I put about a 12 inch deep frame around the feet of the hutches do you think this will keep the worms from being to wet.
3. I know most people do not have a bottom on there in-ground beds and this might seem like a dumb question but does this keep the worms in the bed and not going leaving the beds for other areas.

Any advices welcome!
Thanks,

 

[Olimpia]

Worms need a certain ratio of carbon:nitrogen to be kept happy.
Rabbit urine and waste is the nitrogen in this equation. The carbon you supply to the worms can be wood/paper waste (you can use paper recycling items, the ink shouldn't bother them). So if in certain areas nitrogen builds up it won't be good for them. I'd rake it and try to keep everything as even as possible.
I would put a bottom on the worm beds, with several drainage areas to keep the water from building up. You can put a layer of gravel to help this as well.
I was thinking to start a worm box too. Do you want to sell the worms?

 

[Leahs Lovely Lops]

I would like to sell the worms and castings once they get going. I live in a rual area so many people garden. Pluse it's another avenue of income. It's just branching off of something I do already.

 

[Olimpia]

I would try to find maybe a sheet of metal for the bottom, or plastic, drill a few holes in it, and have it lifted off the ground.
I have solid bottom cages so I can't have worms underneath but I was just going to raise mine in large rubbermaid containers.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

I have Rubbermaid bucket under the chosen "toilet" corner of each of my hutches. I have red worms in there, and also toss in any hay it feed that gets damp for any reason. I stir it all about every other week. I've only been doing this for about 3 months, but it seems too be going well. I found my worms in mating balls last time I stirred. I gets REALLY smelly the more it breaks down though, so keep that in mind

 

[Leahs Lovely Lops]

Thank you for this tip! Do you think the urine might be a problem for the warms. I have had several questions about the acidic level burning the warms. (I have not yet tried getting worms set up yet)

 

[UFCreel]

I just shovel up some ground under my outside hutches and harvest all the red worms anyone could possibly ever need for fishing. But that is all i do with them.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Thank you for this tip! Do you think the urine might be a problem for the warms. I have had several questions about the acidic level burning the warms. (I have not yet tried getting worms set up yet)

I put the hay and feed I toss in there directly in the corner of the bucket that they pee in. This helps soak it up and let it get diluted before it gets to my worms. I'll also occasionally toss in some wood chips if I recently traveled or haven't had any damp or stake hay/food. I'll get a picture of my setup today if I can. It's quite rainy here <br /><br /> __________ Fri Jun 23, 2017 10:25 am __________ <br /><br /> I got two angles for you. I haven't mixed this week so you can see what I do

 

[Marie28]

I don't have any advice but i do have a question on topic. How do you separate the castings from everything else in this kind system?We have a large tub under our rabbits potty spots to collect the waste for the garden but it would be interesting to add worms to it.

We currently have a stacking system for our worms. Similar to the picture.As the worms move up we get the casting from the lower levels.

 

[TeaTimeBunnies]

Well, like I said, I've only had the buckets for about 3 months, but what I plan to do is once the bucket is mostly full I'll swap it out for an empty one. Then I'll give it one last stir and let the worms finish (or at least mostly finish) off the fresher stuff. I figure that by the time the works finish I can carefully shovel the fertilizer into my garden, and pick worms out as I shovel. By that time the new bucket should have enough wast in it for the worms to continue. I then can do three things with extra worms: I could put them in the garden/ plants, split them amongst other buckets, it sell them as bait. Also I'd like to toss in one suggestion that we do. Flies LOVE this stuff, but can be a problem since it is right under the rabbits, so what we do (because I like weird but cool plants) us we hang various types of fly trap plants nearby but still out of the reach of the curious rabbits.