Is there any bug chickens WON'T eat?

[AllChookUp]

I've noticed a big decrease in the amount of bugs (including ticks) since we got our chickens.

We have an influx of boxelder bugs. I haven't seen the chickens eat any of the boxelder bugs up by our house, but man, it would be great if the chickens developed a taste for them. My guess is that the boxelder bugs are too stinky even for the chickens.

Do you have any local bugs that your chickens really help with? What bugs WON'T they eat?

 

[Lumenos]

Quote:
Mine ate mosquitoes when they were only a few weeks old. When one gets a special treat like that they grab it and run around the pen squeaking, as if to say "Don't nobody try to take my skeeter" which compels all the others to chase them around trying to steal it. They would do this with things that weren't even food, like a piece of paper, like it was a game.

 

[robinaggie]

Ants.

 

[tomstephens]

My chickens feast gloriously on my japanese beetles. Which is a beautiful thing. However they won't touch our ant infestation. Tragic.

 

[AllChookUp]

Too bad about the ants. We have plenty as well.

 

[AllChookUp]

tomstephens wrote:
My chickens feast gloriously on my japanese beetles.

Tom - Are you referring to Asian Lady Beetles? That would be wonderful if it is the case. They aren't bad here this year, but a couple of years ago, their cycle was horrendous. They were everywhere.​

 

[tomstephens]

These are the ones we have: Japanese Beetles

 

[AllChookUp]

Tom - Hard to tell from that photo.

Here's the one's I'm talking about: http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/asianladybeetle.html

 

[Miltonchix]

I've found 2 so far..
One is a beetle about the size of a half dollar which scares the you-know-what out of them.

The other is a giant moth about the size of a hummingbird. I think it just tastes BAD as they will peck it to death and then leave it.

And they DO eat ants. It just takes so many to make a decent bite its not worth it to them to expend the energy to catch and eat them. If the ants start crawling on their legs then they'll eat them. Also, 2 of my hens (red stars) have trimmed beaks which makes it nearly impossible for them to pick up ants.

 

[chick4chicks]

Asian lady beetles and Japanese bettles are two different insects. I have had both, so far this year neither one has been bad. Hope it stays this way. By the way my chicks do eat ants i have seen them do it so maybe you wanna borrow mine for a while. LOL. Hope your bug troubles get solved.