Bees in chicken feed, what to do?

The past week it's been unseasonably warm here in the Texas Panhandle and bed have started showing up in our chicken feeders. The chickens seem to avoid them if possible so they are somewhat disrupting their feeding. Any ideas about how to move the bees along? I have no desire to start keeping bees, I just want them to move on. Thanks for any advice you have.

What type of food are you feeding?
What type of bees are they?
If you are using wet or fermented feed, you may have to go with dry feed for a while and see if they move along. Any fruits or veggies that are attractive to bees you may want to omit as well.

Wyorp Rock said:

What type of food are you feeding?
What type of bees are they?
If you are using wet or fermented feed, you may have to go with dry feed for a while and see if they move along. Any fruits or veggies that are attractive to bees you may want to omit as well.

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Honey bees only work dry powder food stuff. They see it as a substitute for the pollen that the bees need after the Winter Solstice to begin rearing more worker bees so that the hive will be in a possession to exploit the nectar flow when the flowers appear.

They will even collect dry saw dust and powdered cow poop if other materials are unavailable. Can't you taste the cow manure in raw honey?

chickengeorgeto said:

Honey bees only work dry powder food stuff. They see it as a substitute for the pollen that the bees need after the Winter Solstice to begin rearing more worker bees so that the hive will be in a possession to exploit the nectar flow when the flowers appear.

They will even collect dry saw dust and powdered cow poop if other materials are unavailable. Can't you taste the cow manure in raw honey?

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No, don't know what a cow patty tastes like to begin with.

I didn't realize they would work the dry food. I was thinking something wet would be more to their liking.
Learn something new everyday.

Wyorp Rock said:

No, don't know what a cow patty tastes like to begin with.

I didn't realize they would work the dry food. I was thinking something wet would be more to their liking.
Learn something new everyday.

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The pollen patties put inside beehives are in fact wet or at least moist but the bees don't have to gather or work this pollen substitute, since it is already inside the hive.

txangel55 said:

The past week it's been unseasonably warm here in the Texas Panhandle and bed have started showing up in our chicken feeders. The chickens seem to avoid them if possible so they are somewhat disrupting their feeding. Any ideas about how to move the bees along? I have no desire to start keeping bees, I just want them to move on. Thanks for any advice you have.

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Does someone near you keep bees?
They may not be providing them the food supplement they need.

The behavior of bees is hardwired even for feral colonies. It keeps them ready for when the early blooming trees do come in. The nuisance will pass. If their is a problem cause, it is us putting out the feed in locations that confuses the bees.