Chickens good pest control?

[eggydoom]

I've seen my hens rip a field mouse in half and run around doing the victory shriek. Chilling.

Our back yard was nearly spider-free for the first time since we've lived here. I spent all this summer feeling happy to see giant wolf spiders spring out at me. Take that, nasty spiders!

The front yard (all garden) is still a bug haven, I've only convinced one Barred Rock (Sophronia) to follow me up there. Of course, she also took out an entire patch of columbine, so I do grub hunting on my own now.

Now, if I could just train the hens to eat mosqitoes...

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Ours eat mosquitoes! They love them! The Faverolles have always been the best at that, of all the breeds we've had. It doesn't really help, though. It's a numbers game We live in the woods. I think it's a hundred trillion to one!

 

[newchickowner]

We've noticed a huge difference! Before rescueing my chickens from a neighbor that had them cooped up (no pun intended) 24/7, we had a huge grasshopper problem. Being from FL, I wasn't used to having huge grasshopper populations that are as thick as pea soup in your yard, But after I brought the chickens to my yard and I allow them to free range, no bugs at all.

Ya'll should have seen them the first day they were out and about over here! They thought they were in chicken heaven and chased and ate grasshoppers until they were so full they couldn't run after them anymore!!! It was so funny!!!! It took about a week before they erradicated my grasshopper population. Of course I haven't seen a spider, snakes, mice, or other creepy crawly either. Once and a while I'll move their bin I keep their feed in while they are close and there's usually a few crickets underneath and they go berserk to gobble them up! I love my chickens!!!

oh, and at Christmas my parents come out to visit us and the grandkids and last year my mom was totally grossed out, (she is very much a city slicker!!!) but she's been here once since the chickens and she loves my chickens too!!!