How to raise earthworms?

Earthworm breeding is a new undertaking. It can be used as protein feed for livestock, poultry and fish breeding. Earthworms can be used to improve soil and cultivate soil fertility. It can also treat urban organic waste, turn waste into fertilizer, and eliminate organic waste pollution to the environment. Earthworms have a wide range of uses and high economic value.

Wood chips mainly take red earthworm as an example to introduce its breeding method. Red earthworm belongs to earthworm family, Eisenia genus, belongs to dung earthworm, its individual is small, generally 90-150 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, sexually mature, the average fresh weight of each 0.50 g. Body color is purple, tail light yellow. Like to swallow all kinds of livestock manure, lean fat strong, suitable for artificial breeding.

The preparation and fermentation of feed is the important material basis and technical key of earthworm breeding. Earthworm feed sources are very wide, all non-toxic organic substances, such as livestock manure, various plant organs, pericarp, bagasse, rotten fruit, etc., after fermentation decomposition, can be used as earthworm feed. Earthworm growth and reproduction, need a variety of nutrients, the main nutrient index is the ratio of carbon to nitrogen. Nitrogen feed and carbon feed should not be used alone, must be properly matched, so that the proportion adjusted between 20-30. Earthworms are omnivorous animals requiring nutrient-rich organic matter.

Earthworm feed is organic waste after full fermentation, such as all kinds of livestock manure and straw. Before fermentation, the livestock manure used should be sprinkled and crushed. Such as crop straw, straw, it is best to use hoe knife cut into 6-9 cm long, then water, mix evenly, make it fully wet, and then pile on the ground system. When stacking materials, it is required that the stacking materials are loose and not compacted to facilitate the reproduction of high temperature bacteria. When stacking, water should be fully sprinkled, the moisture content is between 50-60%, and the stacking height is about 1 meter.

After the feed is piled up, it can be covered with plastic cloth to achieve the purpose of heat preservation and moisture retention. Earthworms are omnivorous annelids. These organic wastes must be fermented before they can be consumed, otherwise a large number of earthworms will die. After 3-4 days, the temperature of the accumulated organic waste can rise to 50-60℃, and it can be turned over once in half a month, and water can be added. After three or four times of turning and decomposition, it can be used.

There are many ways to raise earthworms, and compost farming is the most common one, which can be carried out indoors or outdoors.

Put the fully decomposed feed into the earthworm bed. The decomposed feed is dark brown, odorless, soft and non-sticky. Compost is 80-100 cm wide and 2-3 m long. Watering keeps feed moisture between 60-70%.

To be prudent, before formal breeding, feed identification should be done, and a small amount of earthworms should be put on the feed bed. If earthworms are unwilling to enter the feed, it means that the feed is not completely decomposed and needs to continue fermentation.

Through production practice, it is proved that the method of flat compost breeding can reproduce earthworms in large quantities. Each bed can be inoculated with 1000-2000 earthworms for about 3 months, and when earthworms reproduce in large quantities, they are cultured in separate ponds in time. Generally, feeding once a month ensures that earthworms have enough feed to reproduce and grow rapidly.

During the growth and development of earthworms, temperature has an important effect on them. Temperature lower than 5℃ or higher than 30℃ is not conducive to the reproduction and growth of earthworms. When the temperature drops to 7℃, a large number of earthworms escape. If the temperature is below 0℃, they may freeze to death.

Earthworms grow at temperatures ranging from 5 to 30 ° C, with the most suitable temperature being 20 ° C.

Earthworms are aerobic exercise, breathing by skin, so the feed oxygen of the breeding bed is sufficient, ventilation must be made, loose feed, ensure sufficient oxygen, earthworms can grow well, otherwise they will grow and develop hindered, dark body color is not fresh, slow action.

The growth and reproduction of earthworms are closely related to the PH value of feed. The general adaptation range is between PH6.0-8.0, and the most suitable is PH7.0. Beyond this range, earthworms will appear dehydration, dryness, atrophy, blackish purple body color, late feeling and escape.

It has been proved by production practice that PH value can be adjusted by washing feed with water before feeding. Washing feed with water, although it will lose some water-soluble nutrients, but it can eliminate harmful gases, wash salt and harmful substances, but ferment better feed, do not adjust PH value.

Earthworms like to eat sweet feed, protein, sugar rich feed, especially like rotten fruits, vegetable leaves, but also love to eat sweet and sour feed.

Earthworm feed must be watered frequently to keep moist, feed too dry or too wet will affect the growth and development of earthworms.

Water is the material base of earthworm physiological activities and an important factor in regulating body temperature. Earthworms can obtain water and nutrients from their feed.

Earthworm's body water content is about 85%, in life must have a certain amount of water to grow and develop.

Feed is swallowed by earthworms for about 1 month, to timely supplement nutrient-rich new feed, feed is generally carried out after the clearance of feces, earthworms from top to bottom feeding, feces excretion on the surface of long-term accumulation, adverse to earthworm growth and reproduction, should be eliminated in time. Earthworm dung is scraped and fresh feed is added to the culture bed.

When the weight of most earthworms in the bed has reached 400-500 mg, and the density per square meter reaches 1.5- 20,000, some earthworms can be collected. There are many ways to harvest earthworms

On the surface of the culture bed, loosen the bed material on the surface with a multi-tooth rake, scrape the earthworm dung on the surface after the earthworms drill down, repeatedly loosen the bed material and scrape the earthworm dung, and finally concentrate the earthworms on the bottom layer to achieve the purpose of catching and growing the earthworms.

Earthworm dung is applied to crops to improve soil and improve the quality of agricultural products, improve yield and increase economic benefits.

People can not underestimate the role of small earthworms, it is called "environmental protection guard", processing urban and rural garbage; its discharge of feces, not only high-quality organic fertilizer, but also feeding livestock and shrimp high-protein feed. It is used in food, medicine and other aspects of development, more and more favored by people. Artificial breeding earthworm, improve recycling, not only can reduce the cost of livestock feed, but also can quickly get rid of poverty and become rich, it will play an important role in the development of agricultural production.