My chickens are feasting on what I now know to be plains lubber grasshopper. The master gardener replied and gave me this link:
https://bugguide.net/node/view/8728
I killed a bunch in the front, where my chickens can't go, but there have been a few in the back also. the Sage got nibbled a bit and so far the lettuce is untouched.
With all the grasshoppers I'm not sure how much incentive my girls have, to continue learning to use the new grandpa's feeder. They're still stuck at stage zero, with a rock on the treadle and the flip-lid propped open to the widest stage.