Yard bugs

[mcostas]

Quote:
Our termites swarmed this spring. I carried buffy my hen out front and sat her down in front of the swarm where she ate to her hearts content. I had a few swarms in the back yard too and the young chicks took care of them. I sought out swarms and simply called them over!


They will eat those big palmetto bugs much to my surprize. I dont' have any in my yard anymore, not that they can scare up during the day anyway. I used to be able to move a log or tarp and find some for the girls.

They (the bugs) still come out at night and eat under the bird feeders. I keep saying I am going to collect them for my girls, I even got a bugarium to save them in but I havn't actaully done that yet.

 

[Alethea]

The first thing the girls do when they are let out in the morning is run around their yard to see who's there to eat.

 

[Schnayke]

When I first put my chicks outside, they had ants eating their food, and drinking the water. Not anymore though. I have a feeling the ants didn't just leave on their own accord. Although i didn't see them eating the ants.

 

[teamsunbelt]

I found a big Cicada in the yard this mornig, almost dead. I throwed it in the coop and watched as a JG grabbed it up and swallowed it whole. I would have loved to had a bucket full. The others just watched, jealous of the big treat.

 

[greensandjeans]

My chickens don't free range, but I bring the bugs to them. I must have picked at least 50 Japanese beetles off the grape vine into a jar of water and they were gone in under a minute with just my 4 chickens. They'll also eat potato beetles, cucumber beetles and tomato hornworms that I pick out of the garden. They know when I come from the garden to gather by the door and eat whatever is closed up in my hand. I love it!

 

[Erin K]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to just enjoy watching them hunt! I can't really stop them from eating any bugs I think could be a problem anyhow and like someone said you don't ever hear of chickens free ranging and eating some troublesome bug and getting sick.

 

[BayouGypsy]

If I could trust my girls to leave my cucumbers and cantalope alone, I'd put them in the garden. There are tons of grasshoppers, roly polys and all kinds of bugs!

 

[TerryLou]

Around my yard - if it moves they taste it !