The family of Mr. Then Van Trong in Coc Tum 2 village, Phong Nien commune (Bao Thang district) is one of the pioneering households participating in the calcium worm farming model deployed by the Commune Farmers' Association.
Mr. Trong said: My family raises chickens and geese. Previously, I spent a lot of money on animal feed. In August 2023, the Commune Farmers' Association supported me with breeds, trays and training in calcium worm farming techniques. After raising chickens and geese with calcium worms, I found that the animals grew faster, had fewer diseases, smoother feathers, better meat quality and the selling price of chickens and geese was 20-30 thousand VND/kg higher than conventional farming. Raising poultry with calcium worms helps reduce the amount of industrial feed by 50%, thereby saving the family tens of millions of VND each year.
Mr. Tai Quang Lai's family in Coc Tum village, Phong Nien commune also developed their economy with a model of raising calcium worms as food for egg-laying chickens. According to Mr. Lai, the advantages of the model are low investment costs, easy adaptation, not requiring much care, and making use of agricultural waste. The food source of worms is animal manure, spoiled vegetables, tubers, and fruits. This type of worm is very nutritious, helping animals grow quickly and increase resistance. "My family uses calcium worms in raising egg-laying chickens with clear results: Chickens lay eggs continuously, in larger quantities, larger eggs, better quality, and if left to hatch, the hatching rate is 90%... In addition, calcium worm fertilizer is very good for fruit orchards," said Mr. Lai.
Calcium worms have the ability to digest organic components in household waste, especially damaged vegetables, tubers, fruits... creating a source of nutritious food for livestock, creating humus for crops. Since 2023, the Provincial Farmers' Association has implemented a pilot farming model in 2 communes, and so far the model has been expanded to 9 communes in 3 districts: Bat Xat, Bao Thang, Bao Yen, with 450 participating households. Households raising calcium worms are trained in farming techniques, farming processes, and supported with breeds...
According to the assessment of the professional agency, raising calcium worms is both a food for livestock and poultry, reducing costs in raising livestock, increasing profits for farmers, and solving the problem of environmental pollution from untreated organic waste in daily life, creating environmentally friendly products. From only 10g of initial worm eggs, after 15 - 20 days of raising, about 25 - 30 kg of finished worms can be harvested. Calcium worms have high nutritional content, are a nutritious food, suitable for raising poultry and aquatic products, helping animals stay full for a long time, grow quickly, reduce about 20% - 50% of the main food, giving delicious meat quality, high selling price.
Mr. To Manh Tien, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association, said: Calcium worms are the larvae of black soldier flies. They are called calcium worms because when the worms mature or molt to become black soldier flies, the cocoons left by the worms contain a lot of calcium. The mature worms are used to feed livestock and poultry to supplement nutrients, especially calcium, so they are very good for development.
Raising calcium worms is also very simple, just use styrofoam boxes or buckets, basins, plastic barrels as shelter for the worms. From the source of seeds, after a period of raising, the larvae will grow and multiply many times. The worms' food is animal waste (pig manure, buffalo manure, chicken manure, etc.), and green vegetable waste.
In the coming time, the Provincial Farmers' Association will continue to coordinate with localities to propagate and mobilize farmers to maintain and expand the calcium worm farming model, applying waste conversion methods. It is possible to convert waste in the fields such as straw, crop by-products and organic waste from households, businesses, and restaurants into calcium worm feed, contributing to improving livestock farming efficiency and helping to reduce environmental pollution.
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