Help!!! 2 questions!

[MaggieRae]

One, can chickens eat fire ants? I live in North Texas, and we sure have a lot of them. Not really where I'll be keeping them, but they're around on some other properties. I'm allergic, so we keep a tough eye out for those guys.
I'm just worried the ants would attack the chickens... I know they would attack chicks, but would they attack full grown chickens? Or would those chickens just eat them?

Also, we keep an odd schedule and won't be home for a lot of the time. I've heard of automated feeders/ waterers that allow feed/water out at different intervals, say every 7 hours. Does anyone know anything about these? It would make life a lot easier... I'm planning on asking my friend where he got them, but it would be easier if I could research them first.

We would be keeping out normal feeders and waterers, but the automated ones would be precautionary measures in case the chickens soil their food while I'm away.
I do have a neighbor that would check on them while away, but I want to make their work as light as possible!

Thanks!!!

 

[emilyweck]

Great questions and I don't know, but I'll be watching to see if anyone else knows. Good luck.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

fire ants are bad for any bird
I would not think that chickens will eat them as the fire ants will get all over them stinging them
as for the feed system why can't you go to
http://www.google.com
and enter the system your wanting to study
or simply ask the guy you know

 

[gritsar]

My chickens avoid the fire ants, but any other type of ant is fair game.