Chickens good pest control?

[horsechick]

Hi,
Have heard that chickens, if allowed to free range, are good at eating pests, spiders, ticks etc.
Would you say they keep those populations down, or did you notice it at all?
Thanks in advance!

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

Probably depends on how many you have roaming around. Ours eat anything that moves in the grass and some that do not move. In the past two weeks I have seen them with at least 5 baby snakes. If they weighed 200 pounds they would eat you.

 

[SillyChick]

Yes, my chickens(and chicks) keep good-for-nothing insects of our backyard at bay.

But I heard Guinea Fowls are very good pest controllers: They eat snakes, big bugs(and small) and many other pests. But, they think of themselves as dogs, so be careful!

Good luck!

 

[CarriBrown]

Mine have caught and killed at least three rats and four mice!

Who knows how many they've caught and eaten that I don't know about.

 

[Wildsky]

We have a mouse living in the coop - i WISH someone would take care of it...............

 

[picklespickles]

in the areas where the birds can get, there is not one single grasshopper this summer except for when they jump through the fence as i'm chasing them on the other side.

 

[silkiechicken]

My chickens have decreased over all bugs but the flies have increased.

I can't really expect 20-30 birds to be able to take care of all the bugs out here... it's kind of big for them to keep control of it all and more can always come out of the woods.

 

[buc]

Quote:
You heard right, they eat a lot of bugs during the year, I allow mine to go in the garden and they really clean up, when the CO potato bug larva came on my plants they ate them ever day until they were gone. I have also seen them kill mice.

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
The guineas are Very good bug patrol, I free range all my birds, but the guineas police the yard best. I havent seen near the number of ticks that we had in previous years. Being in scouts on any trip we took the Ticks were bad, but at home have had no problems.

 

[chixrme]

Correct on the guineas! We have 56 running around and they patrol about 20-25 acres, staying within relative short distance of their fav roosts (the pines over the coop I raised them in.) No ticks around the house and barns and our tenant houses - within that 20+acre area. My chickens also eat anything moving...but I can't let them groom the garden as they indiscriminately eat my veggies. However, the guineas eat all tomato horn worms etc without touching the crops. I haven't used any Sevin dust etc since the first batch matured a couple of gardens ago. And I love to hear them bicker.