Two Ways to Eat Hornworms

[centrarchid]

My kids and I are having a little fun picking tomato hornworms off the tomato plants that got ahead of us while on vacation. Then we carry them to barn for treats to chickens. When fed to larger groups of chickens in pens, the hornworms are consumed whole without processing. When fed to single single chickens without competition, there is a lot of processing going on. A juvenile chicken will invest a good five minutes doing what appears to be removing the gut contents before the deflated remains are consumed. No such processing is used on similar sized catalpa worms.

 

[azygous]

I needed to know that. Thank you very much.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

hahahaaa

 

[Dawnclucks22]

Random, but funny!

 

[centrarchid]

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is amazing what you can learn by observing your chickens.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

It is amazing what you can learn by observing your chickens.

and your neighbors.

 

[aart]

Mine wouldn't eat them until I chopped them up a bit,
they got scared and I almost puked the first time I chopped one and it squirted 5 feet.

Never heard of catalpa worms...and have more than several trees.
Maybe too far north for the worms here?
Will have to look more closely.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

I planted some kaltaba trees just so I could get some worms to go fishing with. They are just like the hornworms but I pinch the head off and use a stick to turn them inside out before baiting my hook. crappie galore on that and it dont come off the hook like a red worm does.

 

[barred2rock]

I planted some kaltaba trees just so I could get some worms to go fishing with. They are just like the hornworms but I pinch the head off and use a stick to turn them inside out before baiting my hook. crappie galore on that and it dont come off the hook like a red worm does.

You do realize that's a sign of a future serial killer?