Too many crickets?

[Punk-Rock_Chicken]

I have 12 chickens that are fed a staple diet of Purina Medicated feed. I do however have a little country store/bait and tackle store near my house, and when I stop to get cigarettes I will also get 100 grickets or a tub of meal worms to feed to my chickens as a treat. They go BANANAS!! They love em! And it is very entertaining to watch them. My question is, is this bad for them, or can you give them too many of them? (bugs I mean)

 

[Imp]

from Washington

Crickets are not bad at all. In fact I can hear you chickens asking for more right now.

Better run to the store.

Imp

 

[Quella]

Crickets for chickens is like grapes for me.

Nice analogy, no?
Chickens were born to eat those guys.

 

[SandraChick]

too many crickets? NO SUCH THING!!!

 

[desertgirl]

God I love this site. I hadn't even thought of this! Pet store near by sells crickets for the reptiles...I can get those for the girls when they get older!!!
Too cool!.

 

[vermontgal]

My pet store's crickets are very expensive... Bait shop prices are probably better. If you have a choice.

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

Any idea what's a safe age to introduce crickets?

My chicks are 2 1/2 weeks old and they're outside during daylight hours in a run and they're always snapping up worms and little flying bugs, so I wonder if they're old enough for me to feed them crickets??

Any thoughts on a minimum safe age for crickets?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Now would be fine. Remember when Mama Hen is doing the raising she introduces them to lots of good things to eat at a very early age.

 

[farmin'chick]

Quote:
LOL I don't know the answer, but one of my little BR's found himself a bug in the hay, and went flying all over the brooder pen with 3 others chasing him before he could hide and eat it....

 

[CaitlinB]

God I love this site. I hadn't even thought of this! Pet store near by sells crickets for the reptiles...I can get those for the girls when they get older!!!
Too cool!.

I've been feeding my girls (7 silkie bantams) at least 100 crickets every few days since they were a week old. I get the little ones that are still soft and don't have their wings and they eat them so fast you would never know there was a cricket in the brooder at all. Hahaha