Earwigs?

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

Your chickens don't eat the earwigs? I found an earwig, tried to feed it to Poppy(she loves bugs), but Gamma snatched it up first. They adore earwigs!

I don't think that they carry any diseases, though. They're just little harmless things- the pinchers on their rears don't even move, they're just to scare off little kids and stuff

"MOMMY, THE BIG BAD BIG ALMOST PINCHED ME!"

 

[Thamnophis]

Earwigs thrive in moist/damp environments. In the midwest we've had 3 consecutive years with above average rainfall so the earwigs, gnats, mosquitoes . millipedes, etc, etc are going crazy.

There may just be too many for your birds to eat.

 

[gryeyes]

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Well, unfortunately, they do like to snack on flower petals and plants, so when I find 'em I either call a chicken over (and soon am swarmed by more chickens) or scoop 'em up to go drop in front of a chicken.

The best way to "harvest" earwigs I've found is, in the evening, to take a section of newspaper and roll it into a tube, set it down in the raised garden bed, dampen it with a hose. In the morning, pick up the roll of newspaper and unroll it in front of the chickens. Step back.

 

[drumstick diva]

Ugh, I hate earwigs, even tho I know they don't burrow into your ears while you sleep - at least I hope not. I've read that their nasty pinchers are really their sexual apparatus - why can't they wear pants ? They seek out moisture and damp spots. If you pick up anything that holds in moisture, paper, mulch, weed cloth - they come flying out. They are pretty easy to kill. I just put a little dish detergent into a spray bottle with water and let them have a good squirt. I am sick and tired of finding their tiny little black dot poo poo's in dishes in the cabinet etc. At least you know where they have been. I wouldn't blame chickens if they didn't want to eat them - they don't look the least bit tasty.

 

[andythescot]

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Its such a relief that they aren't destructive! And, at least I'm not the only person whose chickens are uninterested... I tried to show my flock leader, Noreen, one and she just flew away from me... Like a bored Nelly.

Thanks Everyone!%2Pr

 

[LauraG]

So glad I found this post. I have tons of them in the coop too with totally uninterested chickens.

Mine also free range so dont spend alot of time in there & but dont know why i have so many- the coop is dry!!
DE does not work on earwigs, btw....

 

[bigdaddyabc]

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I thought that might be a problem too until I saw my Buff Brahma grab a Japanese Wasp (you know, one of those BIG blackones??) right out of the air. Evidently, beaks are impervious to stings or chickens don't care how much tasty treats hurt. Another one of my girls caught a bee, bumble not honey, in the run. No one told the bee she was landing in a hot LZ I guess. Bad idea.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

I picked up the water dish the other day and had a hundred Centipedes under it... my chickens ran away from them... so are Centipedes bad for them?!?
ps: Mine don't like earwigs either.

 

[Miltonchix]

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Mine will not go near anything that stings. Wasps, bees etc. They are terrified of tomato horn worms (who wouldn't be?) and rhino beatles. (which have just hatched and are everywhere)

 

[huntercf]

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Mine will not go near anything that stings. Wasps, bees etc. They are terrified of tomato horn worms (who wouldn't be?) and rhino beatles. (which have just hatched and are everywhere)

I heard that tomato horn worms are poisonous to chickens because they eat tomato leaves (which are poisonous to chickens).