roaches in the coop...how to harvest for treats?

[0die]

chickens love roaches...well something we all know. So I'm trying to figure out how to "encourage" roaches to gather for then easy feeding to the chickens.

So my coop/house has a small storage area just above the nesting boxes that is a haven for roaches. Any time I have this storage open the chickens gather round cause they know I might sweep some roaches on the ground. Every time I open it several roaches scurry for the cracks and corners and into every inaccessible crevasse. Sometimes I can pull a bag out of misc stuff and shake a couple roaches out which get gobbled up immediately.

Since the roaches have decided to make this space their home, I'm trying to figure out how to place something inside that roaches will love to gather in that I can then quickly pull out and drop on the ground or shake out lots of roaches for feeding time. Roaches supposedly love card board but I've place several pieces inside but has not yet tempted any bugs.

Has anyone got a good roach "farm" idea to collect or gather roaches for easy chicken treats?

 

[cherrynberry]

How about some sort of food scrap inside an opened bag?
Or just like some sort of melon skin thing?

 

[cherrynberry]

I dont really know much about roaches...but bugs usually like to decompose stuff...

 

[igorsMistress]

I found this, maybe it will give you some ideas. There are a few replies
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-start-a-roaches-farm.115475/

 

[Ascholten]

Id not want to encourage roaches to come, anywhere really.
But IF they do, the chickens will eat them as fast as they can find them.
Maybe a glass jar, with a piece of something roach yummy in the bottom and a funnel or something? Something they can't crawl up the sides of, glass is slippery. Even if put on its side, the roaches climb up the funnel, get in, but can't get back to the center 'let me back out' hole to get back out. Keep the jar on its side, tip it right side up tap it take funnel off dump roaches and put back down. :: Something to play with.

Or just once a week put a chicken or three up in your storage area for a few minutes and let them find and flush the bugs out.

Aaron

 

[0die]

I do not want to feed the roaches or encourage them. The situation is that they are already inside the coop. They are not going away...ever...there is a sewer man hole on the other side of my fence. I opened it once years before I had chickens...it was a roach Mardi Gras...there is an endless supply of fresh roaches from this sewer less than 10ft from the coop.

Unlike the typical coop set up where the chickens will 100% annihilate the roach population and thus it's 100% roach free...I have an unstoppable roach factory in the neighbor's yard. This is the "Alamo"...kill the roaches inside the coop and fresh ones show up the next day. This repeats endlessly.

There is food in the feeder in the coop that they are probably enjoying. This storage space inside the coop is their safe haven from the chickens while they remain close to the feeder. Even without this "storage space" there are nooks and crannies in everyone's coops that offers safe places for roaches to hide in until party time at night.

I want to place "something" inside this space that the roaches will like to congregate in during the day that whenever I open it up I can then just grab this "something" and place or toss it on the ground outside and let the chickens chase the roaches as they scatter. Basically to significantly increase the consumption of tasty bugs (egg protein enhancers).

I'm sure the chickens are already eating some of these roaches when the opportunity presents itself. They eat a couple, some more will move in. As long as there is a readily available roach breeding I want to be able to maximize the "use" of these egg protein enhancers.

I do not need a roach farm. One exists in the city sewer in the neighbor's yard. What I need is an effective roach "collector" that I can quickly dump on the ground for chicken treats.

 

[0die]

Id not want to encourage roaches to come, anywhere really.
But IF they do, the chickens will eat them as fast as they can find them.
Maybe a glass jar, with a piece of something roach yummy in the bottom and a funnel or something? Something they can't crawl up the sides of, glass is slippery. Even if put on its side, the roaches climb up the funnel, get in, but can't get back to the center 'let me back out' hole to get back out. Keep the jar on its side, tip it right side up tap it take funnel off dump roaches and put back down. :: Something to play with.

Or just once a week put a chicken or three up in your storage area for a few minutes and let them find and flush the bugs out.

Aaron

this is exactly my situation. there is no way to stop the endless roach supply. city sewer 10ft away.

I need an effective roach "collection" method inside the coop storage so I sweep/toss out a dozen each time and not a couple.

I like your glass jar idea. sounds too easy.

 

[Ascholten]

The roaches, unfortunately are not going to go, oh hey LOOK a slip and slide WEEeeeee uh oh, im stuck at the bottom of this jar, get me out!!! Without something to vibrate or something to put them down there. It seems there is always one or the other, you could catch them very easy with some tanglefoot, but getting them loose again. You could get them loose very easy in a glass jar, but getting them IN there.

Id say get a few gecko's for the coop but then the chickens would take care of them very fast too, a roach gut loaded gecko chicken lunch. Maybe you should just remove the sewer cap, throw the chickens down there, put some wire over it and come back in the evening and collect them up Hit them with a high pressure garden hose, and the muck from them you can use as compost. A Win Win Win all around

I believe DE kills the roaches, just sprinkle it around the edges etc, the roaches get it on them an die in half an hour or so I have heard? DE is cheap, sweep the dead roaches down to the chicken level, the DE residue won't hurt them, in fact can be helpful with deworming.

Otherwise they do make roach traps, that are similar to those hornet traps, a jar with some vile smelling liquid they crawl into and die. Id not want to deal with that though myself TBH.

Heck, if you and I can figure out a way to effectively and easily trap roaches that does not involve goops, glops and props, we could market it and retire dirty rich.

Aaron

 

[0die]

Not wanting to actually kill the roaches...just something that they naturally will hide in that i can quickly toss on the ground and let the chickens have some fun. Instead of opening the storage and spending a lot of time trying to sweep the roaches out or smash them. It's just a dozen or two. If I can easily dump them on the ground the chickens will get them.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I wonder if you could construct something they’d hide in/under between the source and the coop? I’m thinking something they’d hide under and you’d “flip over” when you let the flock out to serve breakfast. No idea if it’d work or if there’s something you could use to attract them to...but a thought.