Never had good luck keeping them long term.  Used to catch them growing up and keep them in an old cooler full of bedding.  Feed them or not, varying wetness and coldness.  Recently I made a fancy worm box out of two plastic containers.  Drill a bunch of small holes so the water and worm poo can filter out the bottom.  Cant keep works in it, and when they do stay in it they die.  And I did all the right stuff (that I know of).  I de-chlorinated the water for the bedding, only fed the recommended foods, etc.  
 
For as much as redworms and crawlers cost at the bait store, I say F it.  I'll buy them and keep them in the fridge a week or two at a time.  

Well just got about 40 and surprising with all the rain they were not out that thick tonight. I changed to the large storage tub so will see. The package of bedding said 50 worms pound,  So I used the whole 2#. I am guessing before I had too many in the bucket with not enough bedding. At over $4 per 20 I will pick a few to pay for gas. I must be getting old because I miss way mere than I get.

Clint S
I must be getting old because I miss way mere than I get.

Lmao, pretty much why I pay the $4.00 to take the grandson :) My eyesight ain't worth a darn anymore and the back ain't what it used to be.
I will say that back in the day , I would do a good 8-10 dozen on good spring nights . A few of those and myself , dad and great uncle were set for the ausable . Local fishing was mostly carp . Worms were handy.
Heck , when we took the 4 year old grandson out striper fishing aboard the Daisy and caught nothing , he said " pop pop, you didn't bring any worms, that's why we ain't catching anything " geesh , I wont forget next time :)

Good luck with the worm farm Clint and hope they get chewed up from fish !!

HT, I bet that giant lawn next door to you  was a nitecrawler gold mine. For the first time in a long while, I have to buy some for this weekend.  Or maybe I'll try out the red light on my headlamp. A friend's little girl  has been begging me to take her fishing, so I've arranged a canoe/picnic/fishing  family venture at a lake with a bunch of big 'gills. I bought her a Zebco 202 package. I had a laundry tub with crawlers when I was growing up; it's amazing how  many big trout and bass have been caught on lowly worms by little kids. And ones not so little.

Charlie I was quite disappointed at the red lamp and even the head lamp for worming.  I can't see with the red one and when I wear it on my head the light was never where I want it. RJ as far as the back, I pay for it too, but I find it worth the challenge as it keeps me mobile.

Strap a tin can full of sawdust to your ankle and dip your picking hand every couple of worms, and you'll lose a lot less.  Headlamp on bright beam but with a single thickness of paper towel pulled over the light and secured with a rubber band will cut the brightness but still leave enough illumination.  Tricks of the trade from a former Pro ($12.00 a thousand was the going rate when this "activity" paid the rent.)  I get a back ache every time I eat Strawberries, which I alos picjked for a living, not going to find out about effects fro worms!!
Fichy, for kids and bluegills and worms, a worm threader helps with the constant rebaiting, or , what I loved with my kids, a piece of worm on an ice fishing jig.  The ' gills will go after this bait as readily as a whole worm, but rarely get the jig past the mouth, so very few gut hooks and "motor boaters."  More bait time in the water means happier kids, less messing around with gut hooked dinky gills means happier adult mentor!  Happy, Happy, Happy!
 
Major life lesson- You can take a kid fishing or you can go fishing, but you can't do both, at leats until the kid learns their own improved clinch knot tying!

Sorry about crummy typing, but the edit function and quick reply are not working for me today.  May have to log off and back on, but work interferes now. 

I'm almost tempted to hit the fairways at a local golf course to try my luck.  A empty coffee can, good flashlight, quick hands and some patience did the trick many moons ago.  I used to be able to pick dozens in no time.  Oh how I miss the old days when life seemed to be so simple.  lol  

Good deal Charlie,
As L-13 said, last year we (adults) slammed some fat gills with a noodle rod, ice jig and gulp waxies.. A good back up to using worms as they don't get stolen or hooked badly as easy..
Have fun fellas, I'm hoping the Ausable drops a bunch as it was near 10,000 last night which is FLOOD stage !!! She is down around 4,900 now and fingers crossed ..

Reading this thread brings back memories from when I was a youngster picking worms for our fishing trips.Your right on troutbum,life was simpler and happier back then.