What kind of chicken doesn't eat bugs??

[karrie1052]

So this is a trick question because we all know chickens eat bugs. Well, all chickens except mine. I have 7 barred rocks that get to free range every night for about an hour. They eat grass and flowers and weeds but pass up every bug I can toss at them. They dont really scratch much either. I'm not worried but would think this would be a more Instinctive action. Thoughts?

 

[sylviethecochin]

My hand- and broody-raised chicks are much better foragers than my brooder-raised chicks, so it is learned behaviour, at least to a point. Also, if all of the birds are ignoring the bugs, they're looking around at each other, seeing that the others don't recognise it as food, and ignoring it themselves, re-enforcing the behaviour.

 

[karrie1052]

My hand- and broody-raised chicks are much better foragers than my brooder-raised chicks, so it is learned behaviour, at least to a point. Also, if all of the birds are ignoring the bugs, they're looking around at each other, seeing that the others don't recognise it as food, and ignoring it themselves, re-enforcing the behaviour.

Can I "teach" them or just not worry about it?

 

[Rlmp817]

How old are they? My first 2 chickens too a long time (a year or so) before they really discovered bugs... Now they know all the best buggy hiding places and do a synchronized left scratch right scratch shuffle shucfle Peck peck. It is adroable.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Can I "teach" them or just not worry about it?

You can try and teach them. I've never tried to teach an adult chicken to forage. If it's not an issue, I wouldn't bother. As @rinp817 said, they'll probably discover bugs on their own, eventually.

 

[GC-Raptor]

So this is a trick question because we all know chickens eat bugs. Well, all chickens except mine.

Wow, that's interesting! My brooder raised Barred Rocks started eating all bugs, worms, grass and weeds the day I put them outside at 5 weeks.
I don't know where you live, but in Connecticut, our bugs, worms and frogs are delicious. . .
Their favorite bugs are crickets, quite a few around here in the warm months.
Digging for grubs is another favorite. .
My older Golden Comets 40 months old have lost their taste for earthworms. They ate them when they were younger. Now I toss them a worm and they won't touch it. They never liked the hairy caterpillars. GC

 

[so lucky]

So this is a trick question because we all know chickens eat bugs. Well, all chickens except mine. I have 7 barred rocks that get to free range every night for about an hour. They eat grass and flowers and weeds but pass up every bug I can toss at them. They dont really scratch much either. I'm not worried but would think this would be a more Instinctive action. Thoughts?

Did you get the chickens as rescues, by any chance? I have read that chickens that have spent most of their life in a production house just haven't been exposed to bugs and worms. Therefore, wouldn't have learned how delicious they are.