Squash bugs - bitter or toxic?

[ladybrasa]

So this summer I was attempting to landscape the chicken run with useful plants. My plan was to start squash around the poles - fenced in, then let them spread all over the ground so the chickens could walk through and forage for bugs. Yeah that didn’t happen. They leisurely pecked the leaves as they poked past the cage and between them and me trying to train the plants up the zucchini produced one fruit. The spaghetti squash also produced one fruit, which I was waiting to ripen only to discover the bottom half was rotten. The vines of both squashes very rapidly died off.

Anyway, they are swarming with copious amounts of squash bugs! I removed the cage and pulled up the dead vines and the things were matching everywhere. Thought I’d get revenge and encouraged the chickens to come over. Nope. They just completely ignored them. Why? Are they toxic? Taste bad? I’ve seen birds even eat stink bugs (though not with much gusto). So much for natural pest control!

 

[HappyClucker7]

I don't know if they're toxic, but I have noticed that my chickens take a while to notice some bugs. If it's not running, flying, or hopping, they don't really notice it.

 

[ladybrasa]

Oh these were definitely moving and marching right over to the remaining squash plant. Too many to even ‘squash’ under my shoe! They totally saw them!

 

[centrarchid]

I played with Cucumber beetles and Squash Bugs a few year ago by introducing them to chicks in a brooder and chicks confined to a rabbit cage with their mother overnight. Chicks consumed both, but handled (dismembered) them a lot before consuming them, The hen produced a trilling sound I associate with her saying nasty as she dispatched the insects herself. The insects were consumed relatively quickly when introduced singly, but were often left alone when several insects where clustered together.

The nasty factor may vary with toxin level in the plant consumed. Cultivars used for trap crops might attract the buggers better and impart less of a nasty flavor. I would also have chickens on plants before the insects become well established. OK so long as not trying to sell the produce.

 

[ladybrasa]

They must just taste nasty. The squash bugs ate squash plants, which the chickens took part in themselves. Didn’t even see one hen even try to eat one. Just looked at a few crawling away and then dig in the newly revealed dirt. Well, I did see a hen eat a white grub of some sort, then shake her head and clack her beak like she had a bad taste in her mouth.

 

[centrarchid]

They must just taste nasty. The squash bugs ate squash plants, which the chickens took part in themselves. Didn’t even see one hen even try to eat one. Just looked at a few crawling away and then dig in the newly revealed dirt. Well, I did see a hen eat a white grub of some sort, then shake her head and clack her beak like she had a bad taste in her mouth.

Are the birds used to eating insects?

 

[iwltfum]

Not that it makes a huge difference but are you talking about squash bugs or cucumber beetles? Squash bugs (aka shield bugs or stink bugs) are brown, shield shaped, and about 1/2 to 3/4" long and cucumber beetles are more rounded, yellow and black with either stripes or spots and about 1/4" long or smaller. They both like squash and cucumber plants equally well. If it's shields bugs, they do put off a stink when threatened or squashed and I've found my chickens do not like them.

 

[centrarchid]

Not that it makes a huge difference but are you talking about squash bugs or cucumber beetles? Squash bugs (aka shield bugs or stink bugs) are brown, shield shaped, and about 1/2 to 3/4" long and cucumber beetles are more rounded, yellow and black with either stripes or spots and about 1/4" long or smaller. They both like squash and cucumber plants equally well. If it's shields bugs, they do put off a stink when threatened or squashed and I've found my chickens do not like them.

Squash Bug

Spotted Cucumber Beetle

Striped Cucumber Beetle

We have all three here. I did not test the Striped Cucumber Beetle.

 

[iwltfum]

@centrarchid
I wasn't questioning your knowledge of them! I know you know your stuff.

Was asking the OP which one they were referring to.

but... you really never noticed a dislike for shield bugs among your flock when you did your experiment? Mine positively hate them. I've collected some infested plants from the garden before and tossed them to the hens and they would spit them out after trying them. They are 100% free range so they know bugs.

 

[centrarchid]

@centrarchid
I wasn't questioning your knowledge of them! I know you know your stuff.

Was asking the OP which one they were referring to.

but... you really never noticed a dislike for shield bugs among your flock when you did your experiment? Mine positively hate them. I've collected some infested plants from the garden before and tossed them to the hens and they would spit them out after trying them. They are 100% free range so they know bugs.

I put images up for OP to save time.

Mine do not like them as much as other insects. Mine will even eat Wheel Bugs in a pinch. I think Wheel Bugs are nearly as nasty as insects feeding off Common Milkweed. What is worthy of note is they will eat the nasty insects better when crop not full. They will eat the good ones even when crop nearly stuffed.