Yellow jackets - threats or treats?

[swordgeek]

There are soooo many yellow jackets hanging around the ground this time of year, we're all having to watch where we step. Nasty things. And of course, they're hanging around the fruit in the chicken run. The chickens are going crazy chasing them around, and I've seen them pick off a few of them. Now that I think about it, it seems that I usually see a whole lot more of them around than I have this season, so they're probably eating a lot of them. Good girls!

Question is, is there anything wrong with chickens eating bees and wasps? Does the venom pass into them? And do chickens ever get stung? The idea of having to rub a baking soda paste on a chicken just doesn't appeal to me one bit. I draw the line at Vaseline in winter.

 

[FourPawz]

I've read accounts of guineas, at least, actually standing at the yellow jacket hole to pick off the buggers as they fly out of the nest. The birds are completely unharmed.

 

[swordgeek]

No chance of them getting stung on the legs or feet? That would be such a relief!

 

[woodmort]

Threats to you; treats to the chickens. Yummy, calcium.

 

[FourPawz]

I'm not going to say the bees couldn't sting a bird, but most birds are too fast for the insects to nail them. The bees don't sting on the way down the hatch, however

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I wouldn't worry about them too much. Your birds could be stung around the face or feet but probably not on the feathered parts. I think the wasps have more to worry about. Wasps typically only sting to defend the nest and most nests are out of the reach of chickens. What your birds can catch should be considered free protein.

 

[swordgeek]

Thanks, folks. I feel so much better about it.

Now if I could just lure my girls onto the driveway... LOTS of treats there right now. Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.