what is the max amt of jap beetles to give ?

[ladyearth]

got out my old trap... also bought a new Jap beetle trap..a nicer one with the screw on plastic type "jar"....
well catch them and rinse off and dole them out to the chickens..... Course the roos want even more than I give them....been giving at least 5 beetles a piece to the chickens... I dole the beetles out....
I only let them out of their run about 1/2 before sleep time. would love to do more but they run every which way... even toward the woodes area if out more time.. I keep telling Roo Roo to" keep his Girls together" Roo with four hens....
thoughts any one.... also try to keep a little a food jar in my pocket when happen upon any bug except lady bugs
Thanks yall

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Japanese beetles are trappable only because the sex hormones they give off attracts more and more Japanese beetles, creating a never ending spiral. So you may want to rethink your beetle management strategy instead of providing a singles bar for beetles..

As for how many Japanese beetles a chicken can eat, how many you got? I wouldn't give them any that were already dead or decomposing, but I don't know if even that would hurt.

 

[ladyearth]

please explain what you mean...please????...thank you they are waning now....... the JB that is

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The more Japanese Beetles there are say on an ear of sweet corn, an apple, a rose bloom, or around your Japanese Beetle trap, the more Japanese Beetles that will join in or come to that ear of corn, that apple, that rose bush or to your garden, because the larger amount of sex pheromones around the trap makes the JB think that there is a Beetle orgy in full swing at that location and they will come to your garden in greater numbers.

 

[jonalisa]

In other words, Japanese beetle traps are most effective if you put them in someone else's yard.

 

[jbtcajun]

Then may be the trap should be hung up in the run.
Let the chicks pick them off as they arrive.

 

[carladababe]

My chickens follow me to the nearest set of bushes that the beetles eat and I'll either pick them off or they just go ahead and pick them off themselves. I think they're waning because we're getting to the end of the season. Now is the time to shuffle around the grass, disturbing grasshoppers for my chickens to chase and fight over. I never feed my chickens too much of anything treat wise, though my husband says they eat more salad than he does. Got to be that fresh air dressing