Why don't my chickens eat bugs?

[SoccerDad]

I've noticed that my 4 chickens just let bugs walk all over inside their pen. Shouldn't they be eating all these bugs? There are Box-Elder bugs all over as well as flys and everything else. Is something wrong here?

 

[rc4u]

no chickens dont catch flies and really dont like box elder bugs{nasty bitter is there defense} most all other bugs thou..jeff

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

My chickens chase and eat flies for fun, but not all the time. I guess it's an individual chicken thing. They also love moths for some reason.

 

[MeepBeep]

Yeah few things eat box elder bugs, they apparently taste and smell something awful...

On that subject if you want a pretty safe and carefree way to control box elder bugs get a pump sprayer, load it with warm water and put a squirt of Dawn dish soap in the water, don't go crazy as it doesn't take much Dawn to do the job... That's it, spray down the box elders as they swarm on the walls or trees, spray in the cracks they are using for entry... The Dawn dish soap and water is like a nuclear toxin to them and it's pretty much harmless to everything else...

As for flies, depending on their mood my chickens will chase flies around all day or ignore them...