Finding Contentment

It was just a bug - I swear!

We have a huge Japanese beetle/June bug problem in our gardens. After racking our brains to come up with a natural solution Mark hit upon a winner a couple of weeks ago. We live in the city, so our six chickens are not free-range. But we do have a very large yard that is completely fenced in. Knowing the chickens' fondness for beetles, Mark decided to start letting them into the garden.

I have to admit I was skeptical at first. I thought they would eat more plants and veggies that they would beetles. But I was wrong! Apparently, beetles are my feathered friends' first love, because they pass up everything else to consume these flying nuisances.

We have been letting them out every day for several hours at a time. Mark stays in the basement/workshop most of the time so he can keep an ear out for predators (think stray tom cats), and we never leave the property without making sure they are secure in the coop.

So far we haven't had any problems, and the chickens seem happier than ever! It's a win - win situation. We get healthier plants and the chickens get their favorite food! Eventually, that may not be the case, but right now we literally have THOUSANDS of Japanese beetles and June bugs. As long as their population continues, I don't think the chickens will pay a bit of attention to the squash or cucumbers.

Instead, they march up and down the rows like they are on guard duty - just daring a beetle to stray into their path!

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08:20 PM, Saturday, July 21, 2007 .. Posted by GrannyG

They love fig bushes, too. Years ago, as a child, I used to catch them, tie a sting on their legs, and sell them for a quarter to whoever would buy them !

Japanese beetles

08:53 PM, Saturday, July 21, 2007 .. Posted by haflinger

I glad to hear the chickens are helping..Come on over to my blog I have a link to a site on Japanese beetles.. haflinger

watch the tomatoes...

09:54 PM, Saturday, July 21, 2007 .. Posted by mulberrylane

I loved our chickens in the garden, but anything that ripened red... as soon as it was red... they pecked it. So once it was tomato season... we had to stop letting the chickens in the garden.

Warmly, ~Melissa

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07:58 AM, Sunday, July 22, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

my experience parallels melissa's,
my hens bypass EVERYTHING in favor
of a ripening tomato with the bell peppers
running a close second lol.
now i'm thinking guineas (or maybe its
just an excuse for more birds)

c'est la vie

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07:59 AM, Sunday, July 22, 2007 .. Posted by ntiveheart

my experience parallels melissa's,
my hens bypass EVERYTHING in favor
of a ripening tomato with the bell peppers
running a close second lol.
now i'm thinking guineas (or maybe its
just an excuse for more birds)

c'est la vie

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12:18 AM, Monday, July 23, 2007 .. Posted by meme21713

The garden looks so healthy..sure glad you found a natural way to get rid of your bugs...Debbie