Are ants okay?

[ChickDancer]

I took both of my little poults outside today and let them play in a pen for a bit. During this time, I tossed some mealworms in with them, and one of them HAPPILY ate them. Of course he had to fight the chicks for his first bite, but once he got a taste of them, it was on!

The other one didn't seem interested in the mealworms. He did, however, want to eat EVERY SINGLE ANT he found! He'd do the normal poultry thing and beat it up first before he swallowed it. But I just want to make sure it's okay for them.

If it is, I'm going to love taking this guy outside, because I DESPISE ANTS! They are the one thing that will make me break out when they bite. Mosquitoes, bees, no-see-ums, it doesn't matter as long as it's not an ant! Ants will leave me with huge welts everytime!

Now I don't plan on being stupid with him, and penning him up with an ant hill. I just want to make sure he'll be okay if he continues to eat them.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Yep...ants are edible. My birds, turkeys included, snarf them up every chance they get.

 

[ChickDancer]

Good!

Maybe when they are much older, and can pay attention to where they are walking, I'll let them raid the ant hills here. But for now, it will just be the ones that wander across the open ground, away from the hills.

I can't even begin to calculate how much money I have put into trying to kill the ants around here. You kill one mound, and they just pop up somewhere else!