Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[littleredwagon]

Here they come, the tent caterpillars...!
Has anyone been able to get their chickens to eat the hairy buggers, or is it something they just shouldn't eat?

Reading about them, I'm no sure why not. They aren't poisonous, but thy like trees. So if yo6 can get the pillars on the ground or the chickens in the trees I don't see why not xD

 

[torrelee]

So they ran out and I had a crazy week. ii found out my uncle is very ill from cancer. Also got a job finally and I've beeb accepted to Miss Washington.

Plus I found my serama. Roosters are naked neck. I think they're cool.

OMG he's adorable!!!!

 

[JennysHens]

Here they come, the tent caterpillars...!
Has anyone been able to get their chickens to eat the hairy buggers, or is it something they just shouldn't eat?

No luck here. Did some research, they seem to be safe but no one's chickens will touch them. I gave them a branch with a nest, they ignored it. We sprayed the trees and I've seen the buggers crawling on the coop now and the chickens tried one or two pecks and now they ignore them. I wonder if the fuzz is a turn off?

 

[sphinxface]

I have taught my chickens to eat dandelion seeds and they ignore the fluff so idk... The hairs are probably more bristled though, maybe irritating...

Gah! They were everywhere last year and this year doesn't look much different >_>

 

[Amberjem]

 

[JennysHens]

I have taught my chickens to eat dandelion seeds and they ignore the fluff so idk... The hairs are probably more bristled though, maybe irritating...

Gah! They were everywhere last year and this year doesn't look much different >_>

Yes, they're terrible! I keep cutting and spraying, clearing out my trees. A week later? A new batch

Can't imagine it helps that none of the neighbors care, so everyone else's yard is infested. They even took out some of my rose bushes this year!

 

[OverEggstended]

I have a family of starlings that eat their weight in caterpillars and grubs. BT works great on them as well! And if you encourage parasitic wasps with your flower plantings... you will wipe them out for ACRES surrounding your house!

 

[Chickielady]

I have taught my chickens to eat dandelion seeds and they ignore the fluff so idk... The hairs are probably more bristled though, maybe irritating...

Gah! They were everywhere last year and this year doesn't look much different >_>

My birds will not touch a caterpiller (those black & tan wholly buggers) but a bald caterpiller they will gobble up.
Maybe you can knock the caterpillers out of the trees with a hard spray of water & then let your birds eat them ?

 

[Chickielady]

Here they come, the tent caterpillars...!
Has anyone been able to get their chickens to eat the hairy buggers, or is it something they just shouldn't eat?

Has anyone noticed what trees these pillers like to eat on ?
We had Mulberries before, and the silk worms would infest & make beautiful tents....pure silk........but they infested no other trees.
Maybe the best thing to do is remove the trees they like, and plant something else in it's place once & for all.

 

[Manningjw]

I re-arranged my chicken run yesterday so they would get fresh grass/mow the other area of the yard

. As usual, my Red Star hen found a new secrete nesting place now that she has long grass and an area covered in blackberry bushes to hide her eggs in!





When she realized I was on to her:



I had been averaging about 7 eggs a day for the past week out of my 8 hens, I knew something was up when I looked in the boxes at noon and found 0 eggs. My red star taught the other hens in only 1 day to lay outside

.