Official BYC Poll: Do You Feed Your Chickens Cicadas?

[BigBlueHen53]

Ducks are no chickens! They don't roost but sleep on the ground and someone from the flock is always awake and alerts the rest if something is going on.
And i don't want to walk into the duck-house and extract those drakeholes there, because in the panic that i will cause other's may hurt themselves or become injured by the other's and i want the ducks to feel safe in their house and run. Absolutely safe. Even safe from me. So that should something unusual ever happen they will retreat into their house/run where they are safer than outside. It has already worked when we had that violent downburst from a nearby thunderstorm that snapped two trees: They all ran for - not the hills - but the duck-house!

Thanks for setting me straight!

 

[Danielpn]

Chickens are scavengers. Foragers. Omnivores. Chicken love to eat a wide variety of insects & worms. Like most bugs, Cicadas are high in protein, low in fat and carbohydrates. This high protein bug and beneficial microbes are a favorite treat, and this free food not only improves the quality of the eggs, but it also reduces the amount of feed you have to buy.

This summer marks the much-anticipated mass-emergence of Brood X (Ten) cicadas which will see billions of them surfacing after 17 years underground. So, the question begs: Do You Feed Your Chickens Cicadas?

Feel free to place your vote and please elaborate in the comment section if you choose "Other".

View attachment 2703508

Further Reading:

• Deciding To Free-Range Your Flock
• Feeding Chickens: An Introductory Guide
• How Much Does It Cost To Raise Backyard Chickens

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I forbid my chickens from eating them, but they don't listen.

 

[Danielpn]

My chicks are too young! They were hunting cicadas when they were two days old and then I had to rush in some chick grit. I worried about the hard exoskeletons. No obvious health impacts overall.

Wouldn't the exoskeletons have been a suitable alternative to the grit?

 

[Ascholten]

Haven't heard or seen cicada's here in Illinois yet. Will be later this month before they start emerging en masse since we've had cooler temps up until the past couple weeks. My flock has been enjoying the June bugs right now though so I'm sure they will love the cicadas once they have the opportunity to try them.

Grew up in Illinois, many years ago. From what I remember, July / August was their biggest months. I remember as a kid, doing some stuff with firecrackers and cicada's. Never said I was a smart kid... just breathing... Cicada boogers blown into your face is not a good thing

Aaron

 

[chrissynemetz]

We don't have them where I live now, but when I lived in Texas my chickens loved munching all the cicadas they could catch!

 

[SASnCoBYC]

Grew up in Illinois, many years ago. From what I remember, July / August was their biggest months. I remember as a kid, doing some stuff with firecrackers and cicada's. Never said I was a smart kid... just breathing... Cicada boogers blown into your face is not a good thing

Aaron

Yep, July and August are the noisy months in central IL, late June to August in the southern part. I always feel sorry for the random cicadas still emerging in September and wonder if they find mates.

 

[Ascholten]

Yep, July and August are the noisy months in central IL, late June to August in the southern part. I always feel sorry for the random cicadas still emerging in September and wonder if they find mates.

On that, if I remember correctly, there always were a few late ones that'd come in the next year too. I remember one moment in time, that for some reason sticks in my mind, this tiny little chickadee, wrestling with a cicada it caught, trying to eat it, beating it on the ground etc. I was thinking that bug is going to fly off with that little bird!

Aaron

 

[BReeder!]

I have to wait until 2024 for brood XIII here in northern IL. It's epic when this brood comes out though. I will certainly let the chickens eat as many as they can get.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have to wait until 2024 for brood XIII here in northern IL. It's epic when this brood comes out though. I will certainly let the chickens eat as many as they can get.

Will we get those here in SE MO, do you know?

 

[AwesomeChickenGuy]

I'm not sure I've ever seen cicadas where I live