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Chickens and earthworms?

Posted 669 days ago

I live in Metropolitan Adelaide, and my brother has egg-laying chickens in his backyard. I am a proud, self-confessed egg-aholic, and do not plan to change any time soon. :)

My brother regularly feeds them grain, and I try to bring as much (mainly green leafy) vegetable scraps as I can to supplement their diet; I often get large boxfuls of scraps from my local grocer. I also avoid adding citrus or onion to the vegetable scraps. I heard that adding some protein to their diet gives their eggs a much richer colour and flavour, so I have taken a *VERY* keen interest in this, as I love rich flavoured eggs. Recently I found out that giving the chooks access to earthworms is an ideal way to boost the protein in their diet, and they go utterly beserk over earthworms.....or so I've been told. Anyway, I found out that using manure is an excellent way to lure worms to the surface. I happen to live near a horseracing track and some stables, so I've got access to as much free horse manure as I can carry in the boot of my car, and then some. Just recently, I've spread out a bag of horse manure onto the ground in my brother's "chicken area", in the shade under some trees. I've then covered it with some hessian sacks, and put a number of bricks on top (to give the worms a chance to come to the surface), then poured some water onto the hessian. Well, I don't know whether or not worms will/won't come to the surface, but the chooks went utterly beserk and started eating the manure like there was no tomorrow. They've even started digging and scratching all the way around the hessian and bricks, trying to eat even more manure. They've been digging and scratching so much, they've dug a small "trench" around the hessian sacks. Their digging and scratching is like nothing I've ever seen. They just dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig.....and dig.

Given the information I've provided, I was hoping someone could answer the following questions:

- If chickens eat horse manure, will this make them sick?
- What effect will it have on their eggs? This is my main concern.
- Will the horse manure "be likely" to attract worms to the surface?
- If so, how long do I need to wait to remove the hessian sacks and let the chooks eat the worms?
- If the manure is not useful, what can I do to lure/trap earthworms and other garden bugs, for the chooks to eat?
- Any types of bugs they should NOT eat?
- Any other tips?