Can a chicken die if it eats a monarch butterfly? Are there any other poisonous bugs?

[shadow rabbit10]

Hi,
My mom was feeding my chickens worms out of the garden and I was wondering of there are any bugs that can kill chickens. I've heard that monarchs are poisonous, but will only make a bird throw up. What bugs should I avoid feeding the chickens? And, do the chickens know to avoid them? Mine have tried to eat flies, mosquitoes, and the other day, one even ate an earwig! Are these ok for them to consume?

 

[Erica]

Chickens will pick up and taste most bugs. They'll drop anything that doesn't taste right (and most poisonous things don't taste right). They're reasonably wary as well, and most won't try to eat a hairy caterpillar or assassin bug (which squirts a caustic liquid at predators).

Here are some things I've seen the chickens eat happily:

- giant hairy spider (!!)
- large centipedes
- earwigs
- slaters (woodlice)
- beetles
- small snakes
- mice

etc. No harm done.

Erica

 

[superduckling12]

Chickens will pick up and taste most bugs. They'll drop anything that doesn't taste right (and most poisonous things don't taste right). They're reasonably wary as well, and most won't try to eat a hairy caterpillar or assassin bug (which squirts a caustic liquid at predators).

Here are some things I've seen the chickens eat happily:

- giant hairy spider (!!)
- large centipedes
- earwigs
- slaters (woodlice)
- beetles
- small snakes
- mice

etc. No harm done.

Erica

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Mice and snakess??? Wow.

 

[marlo1968]

Chickens will pick up and taste most bugs. They'll drop anything that doesn't taste right (and most poisonous things don't taste right). They're reasonably wary as well, and most won't try to eat a hairy caterpillar or assassin bug (which squirts a caustic liquid at predators).

Here are some things I've seen the chickens eat happily:

- giant hairy spider (!!)
- large centipedes
- earwigs
- slaters (woodlice)
- beetles
- small snakes
- mice

etc. No harm done.

Erica

Saw one of my 5 week old bantam brahams go after and get a huge spider, with legs was as big as his head, but he ate it, probably filled his little belly right up too.

 

[Chris09]

Most animals wont eat a Monarch, they may taste but then they will spit it out, the Monarch has a taste the very few if any animals like and they are considered poisonous.
Now the Viceroy and the Solider Butterfly looks almost identical to a Monarch but they doesn't have the bad taste and I don't believe that they are poisonous.

Here are the two butterflies [Monarch on Left Viceroy Center and Solider on the Right]




Chris