eating ants

[deb004]

hi I'm wondering if chickens can eat ants and is it good or bad for them? /in the little run i've created im pulling out old weeds and rubbish, putting in a soil improver. upon digging things up I have found numerous amounts of ants, I've bought a powder, but have closed off the area where I've put the green any dust. so they can't get to it. I plan on planting greens that they can pick at when they are in there, (eventually). just wanting to ask if they can acutally eat ants?

And what shaded plants can I add to their little area, thats not harmful to them?

Debbie

 

[Barry Michelle]

Here in Michigan I built my chicken coop close to a couple of ant mounds. The chickens loved eating the ants! They used the loose dirt to dust bathe and to eat for grit. I live north of the 45th parallel, so ants don't really bite and they are not very big.
I would love to get to go to Australia someday!

 

[deb004]

Hi there, i was told that if green ants bit them too much they can get a reaction. Guess thats why I'm a little worried about ant eating just in case. I'm still pretty new to raising chickens. Is it normal for chickens to scratch or continually groom themsleves?

 

[Barry Michelle]

Sorry, can't help with the ant bite ?s, my chickens do groom themselves a bunch though.

 

[phalenbeck]

I have know idea what a green ant is, but mine eat biting ants we call fire ants (red) all the tme. After a few years you will no longer worry, because you will see them eating all kinds of stuff with no problem. Getting rid of some bug population is one good reason to raise chickens.

 

[coffeenutdesign]

My chickens don't like ants at all. They will eat little ant larvae, but regular ants they will pick up and then just drop back down and ignore after that. I would be concerned about putting the chickens with the ants, because where I live ants will kill animals by eating them alive, especially fire ants. I try not to leave most of our ants alone so the horned toads and lizards can eat them, but I will treat mounds that are close to my animal cages and ALL fire ant mounds.