my chickens eat maggots?

[A.T. Hagan]

Are we talking maggots or some sort other sort of larvae?

Maggots grow in rotting flesh. If there's some dead animal lying around full of maggots chances are the chickens will happily eat them. Not a good idea though as they can sometimes be full of botulinum toxin that can kill or seriously sicken your birds.

Other kinds of larvae such as grubs from your lawn, garden, flower beds, or compost pile are great chickent treats if they do not come from an area that has been sprayed with pesticides.

.....Alan.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Ladybugs are poisonous. When you hold one they secret a toxin. Wild birds don't eat ladybugs either, so it makes sense that chickens wouldn't either.


Maggots

but obviously they think they are good to eat.

They can't be too poisonous, when I got my chicks in March it was warming up enough to bring the lady beetles (those lovely Asian beauties *add sarcasm here*), and they fought to eat them. None of my chicks I saw eating them died. I know they excrete a fowl smelling odor, but I don't think it is toxic, just probably tastes bad to deter predators. They have no natural enemy here in the States, which keeps bring to mind the question, "Why the hell did our oh-so-smart govt bring them over here?"
To the OP, OF COURSE let them eat those maggots, after all they are baby flies and they are just extra food for them to enjoy. They are probably like little jalapeno poppers to them. Mmmmmm!

I don't think they secret enough to be deadly.

I went to an animal exhibit with my son on a field trip and they talked about the difference between poisonous (like lady bugs, certain frogs, etc) and venemous (like snakes) They also talked about centipedes and millipedes, 1 is poisonous and 1 is venemous but I can't remember which is which.

 

[chicmom]

Don't worry, maggots are fine for chickens. Mine eat them, and I've never had a problem. (It was gross though. There was a dead rabbit near the edge of our woods, just crawling with maggots, and they would wait until the maggots crawled off, and then they'd gobble them up.)

My chickens also eat worms and newts.....THEY LOVE IT! YUMMY!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Maggots don't have to have rotting flesh necessarily, it is just rotting whatever if it attracts flies to it, maggots will appear in time. I find them in my rabbit poop before it gets turned and there is no flesh in there. They do prefer fecal matter and rotting flesh to other decaying matter from my experience.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Flies don't NEED fresh poop or dead flesh to reproduce. I've found maggots under decaying tree logs. They feed on the decomposing grass & vegetation under the stumps.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Maggots are good!
This summer, we are going to do a maggot bucket.
We will hang a bucket in the run, that has holes all over the bottom. We will keep the bucket "fed" with raw meat scraps.
The maggots will fall through the holes, and the chickens will feast!!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Quote:
You don't have to invite me over to picnic at your place, really.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
You don't have to invite me over to picnic at your place, really.

It will be in the chicken run. I doubt anyone would really even know it was there.
Its a whole lot better then what another person I heard of does.
He takes roadkill, allows them to get to the right stage, and then drags the in for the feast!!

 

[Harrietsmum]

Quote:
YUM