Pest control was the original reason we got chickens. Our family property at the lake had become overrun with millipedes. There were some summer nights where you could walk outside and they were so thick you could not see the sidewalk, just a sea of black millipedes. We tried everything. I would spray them, the next morning I would sweep up hundreds of thousands of their dead carcasses but the next night they would be just as thick. Around 30 or so were finding their way inside our cabin each night. Over the winter I did some research and sold my brothers on the idea of trying chickens. They gave me the approval as long as I did all of the work. I simply ran chicken wire along the support posts under our deck, added a gate and boom, instead chicken run. Built a lilttle house and brought the chickens.
They were a huge hit. Whether they solved the problem or not, everybody loved them. They were a big hit for all of our guests. Sure they wanted to swim, boat and fish, but they always wanted to check out the chickens. Feed them melon rines, leftovers, etc. Not to mention collecting the eggs as well as just watching them walk about the yard. The chickens were a hit.
The thing is nobody ever actually saw the chickens eat the millipedes since the millipedes were night creatures, but within a year the problem was gone. I don't know if the chickens ate all of the millipedes or just ate their food source or if it was just a big coincidence, but they are gone.
But each year my chickens would never survive the winter. I always found somebody willing to house them, but when winter was over invariably the chickens were all dead, normally due to foxes and such. I finally convinced my wife to let me bring them back to our house between Labor Day and Memorial Day. I love it. I will never be without chickens again (I hope).
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