Hi,
My neighbor's chicken ate a brown widow spider on Monday!
We live in Southern California and we have lots of Black Widows. Over the last two or three years we have been also invaded by a similar variety of spider called the Brown Widow. You know you have them if you find prickly egg sacks. They like outdoor plastic toys like playhouses and slides, trash cans, and patio furniture according to all my neighbors. I have read they are more poisonious than black widows, but don't inject as much poison with their bite.
My neighbor often gives pincher bugs as treats to the chickens and she has a glove on when she does it. She noticed a Brown Widow and its nest in the chicken tractor and went in w/ the glove to grab it. The chickens thought it must be a treat and then noticed the spider. The Speckled Sussex snatched it and ate it before my neighbor could grab the widow it and kill it. I had read previously spiders didn't harm the chickens if they ate them.
So far, the speckled sussex has had no noticeable problems. Does anyone else have experience with the chickens eating poisionous spiders? I ask because there are so many around here.
My neighbor's chicken ate a brown widow spider on Monday!
We live in Southern California and we have lots of Black Widows. Over the last two or three years we have been also invaded by a similar variety of spider called the Brown Widow. You know you have them if you find prickly egg sacks. They like outdoor plastic toys like playhouses and slides, trash cans, and patio furniture according to all my neighbors. I have read they are more poisonious than black widows, but don't inject as much poison with their bite.
My neighbor often gives pincher bugs as treats to the chickens and she has a glove on when she does it. She noticed a Brown Widow and its nest in the chicken tractor and went in w/ the glove to grab it. The chickens thought it must be a treat and then noticed the spider. The Speckled Sussex snatched it and ate it before my neighbor could grab the widow it and kill it. I had read previously spiders didn't harm the chickens if they ate them.
So far, the speckled sussex has had no noticeable problems. Does anyone else have experience with the chickens eating poisionous spiders? I ask because there are so many around here.
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