Chickens are natural omnivores and will eat a wide variety of bugs, insects and invertebrates. What bugs do chickens like to eat also depends on their environment. Their diet in the wild would consist of seeds, plants, fruits, nuts, and any small creatures they can capture. Chickens still retain these instinctual foraging and hunting behaviors even when domesticated.
Adding protein-rich insects to a flock’s diet provides essential nutrition. Chickens will naturally seek out and consume most small crawling and flying insects. Understanding their insect eating habits can help you leverage their pest control abilities.
What Bugs Do Chickens Eat and Love
Here is an overview of some of the most common insects and bugs that chickens enjoy eating:
Crickets
Crickets are like candy to chickens! These small jumping insects provide a good source of protein for chickens when caught. Chickens will stalk, chase and scratch in the dirt to find crickets in vegetation. Both wild caught field crickets and domestic crickets sold as live feeder insects are readily eaten.
Mealworms
Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle. Chickens love foraging for these juicy worms in the soil. Farmers will also intentionally provide mealworms to their flock as a sustainable protein source. Mealworms for chickens provide nutritional benefits from eating both live and dried variety.
Chickens are omnivores and will eat a wide variety of insects and bugs they come across while foraging. What bugs do chickens eat depends on what is available in your yard. Crickets, worms, grubs, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, caterpillars, mosquitoes, ants, maggots, spiders, and centipedes are all fair game for a chicken. They gain valuable protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals from these insect sources to complement their feed diet. Allowing chickens to scratch, peck and hunt for bugs leverages their natural behaviors. Just be cautious of stinging insects and extremely large bugs that could cause obstructions when consumed.
Flies
All types of flies including house flies, stable flies and bottle flies are fair game for foraging chickens. They will consume both adult flies and fly larva (maggots). Eating flies helps control nuisance fly populations. Free-range chickens are remarkably effective at catching flies mid-air with their beaks.
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers and other jumping insect pests like crickets and locusts are a natural target for chickens. Their strong legs allow chickens to jump up and catch low flying grasshoppers. Chickens will also scratch around in vegetation to uncover hoppers.
Beetles
From tiny pill bugs to large June beetles, chickens consume a wide variety of beetles. Crunchy beetles provide protein, fat and minerals. Beetle larva like mealworms and grubs are also choice insect fare. Chickens will eat beneficial beetles but avoid noxious varieties.
Caterpillars
Butterfly and moth larva are ripe picking for flocks. Chickens chase down cutworms, armyworms and tomato hornworms that damage plants. Their keen eyesight allows them to find camouflaged inchworms and gypsy moth caterpillars. Caterpillars provide nutrition without a large volume.
Ants
Chickens will consume ants of all types when available. They swallow both the ants and their eggs in one tasty mouthful. Ants offer nutrients like protein and healthy fats. And since chickens scratch for insects in the dirt, they help control potentially damaging ant colonies.
Maggots
Fly maggots or larvae are a high-protein treat for chickens. They will clean up maggot-ridden manure and carcasses, helping prevent flies. Their strong immune systems allow chickens to safely ingest and gain nutrition from maggots. Owners do need to take care to prevent excess manure accumulation that breeds maggots in a coop or run.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes and other small flying insects get snapped up by alert chickens. Chickens are an effective form of mosquito control. Each bird can eat 100+ mosquitoes per day! This helps reduce biting pests and mosquito-borne illnesses around your coop and property.
Spiders
Chickens relish spiders and their sticky webs are no obstacle. From harmless garden spiders to venomous species, chickens safely consume them. Eating spiders provides protein. And chickens help control potentially damaging spiders like black widows around structures.
Centipedes
These long crawling bugs with many legs are a tasty treat for chickens. Scratching hens will uncover centipedes under logs, bricks and garden debris. House centipedes that invade homes also get eaten if chickens access them. Centipedes provide a good nutrient boost.
Worms
Earthworms, pinworms, roundworms and more are a desirable part of a chicken’s diet. Worms supply a nutritious package of protein, healthy fats and minerals. Chickens swallow worms whole or chew larger types like cutworms and nightcrawlers into bite-sized pieces.
Nutritional Benefits of Chickens Eating Bugs
While commercial chicken feed is specially formulated to meet a flock’s nutritional needs, chickens can gain added nutrients from foraging on insects. Bugs supply key vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fats to enhance chicken health and productivity. Here’s an overview of the top nutritional benefits bugs offer chickens:
Protein
Insects and bugs are a concentrated source of highly digestible protein for chickens. Crickets, worms, larva, flies and more all supply amino acids that chickens require. Consuming bugs helps hens maintain the protein levels needed for quality egg production. Bugs also provide supplemental protein for chicks and molting birds. Mealworms during molting season can also provide your flock with needed protein to help immune system.
Fatty Acids
Several insects like grubs and maggots contain beneficial unsaturated fats like omega-3s. Fatty acids support the immune system, brain growth and nervous system in chickens. The omega-3s found in bugs may help improve egg nutrition too. The right balance of fats from insect sources contributes to glossy plumage and healthy skin.
Calcium
Insects like crickets and grasshoppers are surprisingly high in calcium. Calcium is essential for bone strength and egg shell quality in laying hens. When chickens consume bug sources of this important mineral, it reduces the risk of osteoporosis and thin-shelled eggs. This makes bugs an excellent supplement to layer feed.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is another key mineral for bone health, growth and egg development. Bugs like worms, larvae and flies contain high amounts of bioavailable phosphorus. When chickens eat these phosphorus-rich insects, it supports bone density over time and meets the mineral demands of frequent egg laying.
Magnesium
Magnesium is necessary for over 300 enzyme reactions in chickens. It’s required for energy metabolism and production of genetic material. Many common bugs that chickens eat are high in magnesium, including beetles, caterpillars, ants and termites. The magnesium obtained from insect sources benefits muscle and nerve function.
Zinc
Zinc is a trace mineral that chickens need for a healthy immune system and feather growth. It’s also necessary for reproduction and enzyme functions. Insects like grasshoppers, crickets and cockroaches are surprisingly high in zinc. When chickens consume these bugs, it helps ensure they get sufficient levels of this essential trace mineral.
Iron
Iron helps bring oxygen to a chicken’s tissues and plays a key role in digestion and metabolism. Valuable iron sources for chickens include darkling beetles, flies, caterpillars and worms. The bioavailable iron content in these insects helps prevent deficiencies that could cause anemia and lethargy.
B-Complex Vitamins
The spectrum of B vitamins are essential for converting feed into energy and supporting nerves in chickens. Common insects eaten by chickens are packed with B vitamins like riboflavin, folate, biotin and more. The natural B vitamins obtained by eating bugs enhances energy levels.
In addition to these key nutrients, the variety of insects and bugs chickens consume supplies an array of other vitamins, antioxidants and digestive enzymes that add to their nutritional intake. The nutrients in bugs complement the balanced rations provided in commercial feed. This diversity of nutrition from insect sources contributes to optimal chicken health, productivity and egg quality. Leveraging chickens’ natural foraging behaviors allows flock owners to provide supplemental nutrition in the form of high-quality protein, essential fatty acids and digestible minerals that bugs naturally supply.
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What Bugs Should Chickens Avoid Eating
While chickens will eagerly eat most bugs and invertebrates they can capture, there are a few insect varieties flock owners should discourage chickens from eating to prevent potential health issues.
Here are some bugs chickens are better off avoiding:
Fire Ants – Fire ants have a powerful, painful sting that can seriously injure chickens that try to eat them. Their venom contains alkaloids which can paralyze and kill small animals. Flock owners in fire ant-prone regions need to treat property to eradicate colonies.
Killer Bees/Wasps – Bees and wasps also can inflict multiple stings that could seriously sicken or kill a curious chicken. Their venom can cause an allergic reaction or toxic buildup. excluding chickens from areas where bees or wasps are nesting is best.
Blister Beetles – These large, narrow beetles emit a chemical called cantharidin when consumed, which can cause gastrointestinal irritation and blistering of mouth tissues. Blister beetles are most toxic during mating season. Keep chickens away from hay bales or cut grass where blister beetles may cluster.
Potato Bugs – Potato bugs and Jerusalem crickets emit a foul-tasting, laxative chemical as a defense mechanism. Consuming these insects can cause appetite loss and diarrhea in chickens due to their toxins. Chickens usually learn to avoid them after one taste.
Monarch Butterflies – While most butterflies are harmless, monarch caterpillars and butterflies themselves contain cardiac glycosides that can cause heart arrhythmias in chickens. It is best to keep chickens away from monarch butterflies and limit consumption.
Poisonous Caterpillars – Some caterpillar varieties like saddleback and io moth larvae contain toxins that can sicken chickens. The hairy spines of venomous puss caterpillars can also cause reactions. It’s advisable to remove any unknown caterpillars from a chicken’s environment just to be safe.
Centipedes/Millipedes – While not necessarily toxic, the many sharp legs and body segments of centipedes and millipedes can lodge in a chicken’s throat or puncture their crop if swallowed whole. They are best avoided if possible.
June Bugs – June bugs do not contain toxins but their hard wing covers and large size can potentially cause obstructions or lacerations to a chicken’s digestive tract if eaten in excess. It’s best to limit access to large numbers of June bugs.
By being aware of these insect varieties that could pose health risks, chicken owners can take steps to discourage foraging flocks from consuming them. Ensuring chickens have access to plenty of safe, nutritious bugs can also limit their interest in eating potentially dangerous invertebrates they stumble across while free ranging. As with introducing any new food, monitor chickens closely to be sure they do not have any adverse reaction. When in doubt, remove or isolate any insect you suspect could be toxic.
Do bugs provide complete nutrition for chickens?
While bugs and insects provide valuable nutritional benefits, they should not be relied on as a complete dietary source for chickens. Commercially prepared poultry feed is carefully formulated by avian nutritionists to provide the full spectrum of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals chickens need. Bugs can complement this balanced diet, but not replace it.
Insects are high in protein, healthy fats, and certain vitamins and minerals. But they do not contain some essential nutrients chickens need for optimal growth, egg production, and health maintenance. Key nutrients likely to be deficient in an all-bug diet include calcium, phosphorus, sodium, manganese and methionine. Bugs also provide an imbalanced calcium to phosphorus ratio.
Chickens allowed to freely forage will instinctively vary their diet across grain seeds, greens, and insect sources which provides more complete nutrition. But chickens restricted to coops absolutely require commercial feed in addition to any bugs they consume. Free choice complete feed should always be available to penned chickens along with a calcium supplement.
While bugs supply beneficial nutrition, relying solely on them could lead to nutrient deficiencies and related health problems in confined chickens over time. That’s why a quality complete feed designed for the flock’s needs should be provided as their dietary foundation. VIEWING BUGS AS A SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCE OF KEY NUTRIENTS, not the sole diet, is healthiest for any backyard or commercial poultry flock. The diverse nutrition bugs offer complements balanced feed rations.
What is the best way to feed chickens bugs?
The most natural approach is to allow chickens room to roam and forage for insects on their own. Free range chickens will instinctively scratch, peck, and hunt for any bugs in the vegetation or soil. This allows them to consume insects as they need and desire them. However, chickens can be more restricted based on space or predator concerns.
For confined chickens, gathering bugs to distribute in their run is recommended. Place ramps, boxes, boards or overturned pots in the pen to attract insects. You can also actively catch bugs in a sweep net or by shaking plants over a tub. Crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, worms and any small insects can then be released into the coop or run for chased-down treats.
Another option is purchasing live insects from pet supply stores, bait shops or online sources. Mealworms, crickets, roaches and other feeder insects are sold in bulk for chickens and exotic pets. Place them into shallow dishes for confined birds. It helps to maintain activity and foraging behaviors even without free ranging.
You can also utilize specialized poultry foraging containers. These rollable tubes or suspended troughs with holes allow you to add live insects, scratch grains or treats. The chickens peck and dig through the containers, working for their food and keeping active. Position them inside pens or open pastures.
No matter the method, the end goal is to supplement the standard diet and allow chickens to exhibit their natural foraging instincts hunting for juicy bugs! This provides mental stimulation, exercise, and valuable protein-rich nutrition from insect sources.
Final Thoughts
The wide variety of insects that chickens consume provides their diet with more protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. This enhances nutrition, boosts immunity and improves their ability to lay eggs. Leveraging chickens’ natural insect-eating behaviors also gives them an important job helping to control pest populations and garden damage. With their adaptable diets chickens prove the old adage “free food tastes better”!
