In my on-going effort to disprove worm feeding myths, I decided to try my all animal protein experiment a second time.
If you follow this blog, you will know that my last animal protein experiment was a dubious success. Everything went well for 8 months. The worms were happy and healthy. Then suddenly the entire bin died. I don’t know why.
So, I decided to try again, and had similar results. Everything went well for 6 months, at which time the entire bin suddenly died. Why? I don’t know. My best guess is that the problem was heat related. We were having temperatures around 100F (38C). My garage was probably even hotter. I have 2 other bins that experienced a similar die off in the heat. (hopefully, I can repopulate my herd from the one remaining bin with live worms still in it.)
As in the original experiment, the bedding was entirely shredded cardboard. The food was mostly chicken liver, but included yogurt and cooked eggs.
Here are my notes, in case there is anything that can be learned from them.
Jan 19, 2026
Bedding started in a new bin. Just cardboard, water, and some residual castings from the previous experiment.
Jan 31, 2026
Something less than 1 pound of worms (3/4?) added to the bin. Fed 2 hard poached eggs.
Feb 13, 2026
Added some more worms to the bin. Most of the egg has been eaten. About a week ago, the egg stunk. No noticeable smell today. Most of the worms are down near the eggs.
Feb 15, 2026
Fed ¼ pound of chopped chicken liver.
Mar 3, 2026
Fed ¼ pound of chopped chicken liver. I should have waited. There was still a lot of the last feeding in the bin. The bin smells pretty bad.
Mar 11, 2026
No feeding. Turned the bedding. Worms are going bonkers over the liver. The smell is mostly gone. The bedding is starting to break down.
Mar 16, 2026
Fed ¼ pound of chopped liver. The previous feedings are mostly gone. The worms seem to be gathering near what is left of the previous feedings.
Mar 30 2026
Most of the previous feeding is gone. Worms are mostly massed around what is left of the previous feeding. Worms look healthy. Fed ¼ pound of chopped up chicken liver.
April 25 2026
Most of the previous feeding is gone. Bedding looks good. Worms are fat and healthy. Fed ½ pound of chicken liver. Added some bedding.
May 19, 2026
Everything is breaking down fine. Lots of castings. No smell. No sign of previous feedings. Worms look healthy. Fed 10 oz chopped up liver. Added bedding.
May 28, 2026
All of the previous feeding is gone. There is a very subtle smell. Added bedding and water. Worms look healthy. Fed 8 ½ ounces of chopped chicken liver.
June 10, 2026
Very little of the liver is left. There is no smell, but a week or so ago, there was a faint smell. There are worms gathered around what is left of the liver. Worms are more numerous, but smaller than before. They look healthy. Fed 1 pound of yogurt. Added some bedding. There are mushrooms growing in the bin.
June 23, 2026
No sign of previous feeding. No smells. Worms look healthy. Fed 1 pound of yogurt. Added bedding. There are still mushrooms growing in the bin.
July 3, 2026
Fed 1 pound of chicken liver. The bin smells earthy. Almost no sign of the previous feeding. No mushrooms. Worms look healthy.
July 8, 2026
Poked around in the bin. There are a lot of worms in this bin, and they look healthy. A lot of the liver is already gone, but I wouldn’t feed yet. There is a slight ammonia and rotting meat smell.
July 15, 2026
The entire bin has died. I don’t know why. Possibly heat related? The worms in my other bins don’t look healthy, but they are surviving.