Are backyard chickens a good source of bug control?

Any home is going to have some pests in the yard, but some factors can really aggravate the problem. When you start a backyard garden, bugs are going to be attracted to this source of food. For some, pesticides might be the right solution, but the over application of these chemicals can cause some problems, and if you are trying to grow organic, your pesticide options will be limited. To help address this problem, some have started using chickens as a part of an integrated pest control strategy.

How Backyard Chickens Control Bugs
You’ve started a garden, tended and cared for the plants and then before it is time to harvest the product of this work, you find that most of the plants have been devoured by insects. It’s a common story, and for people that are reluctant to use chemical insecticides, it can be a difficult problem to solve.

If this sounds familiar, then you could consider doing something that humans have been doing for thousands of years: harnessing the natural instincts and behaviors of our animal friends for our own purposes. In this case, we are talking about using the natural predatory behavior of chickens to get rid of insects in the yard.

A chicken’s natural instinct is to seek out bugs and eat them. If you allow chickens time in your yard, they will hunt down and eat every bug that they can find. They’ll look for them in the grass and brush, they will peck at the ground to get at bugs that live in the soil and by engaging in this natural behavior, they will significantly reduce the population of pests in the yard and protect the crops from insect damage.

The Up Side
The main upside to keeping chickens in your yard is that they will reduce the population of pest insects and keep your garden from getting destroyed. However, this will more than protect the garden. You’ll find that not only are the pests that bother your garden getting eaten, but you will also see less of other pests. They’ll take care of a variety of different types of insects that can be a nuisance in other ways. If you have problems with things like ants and termites, the chickens will make your yard a much less inviting place for these insects to live.

In addition to this, chickens are an environmentally friendly solution to your pest control problem, and along with that, they are also nice animals that are relatively easy to care for. Set up some nice coops for them to rest in when they are not doing their job, provide them with water and some vegetation and you will have a good set of happy chickens that can work for you.

Beyond that, you could also consider the chickens as a good source of meat and eggs, plus their manure can work as an organic fertilizer.

The Down side
The main concern is that chickens can carry diseases. Most notably, this will include salmonella. Handling these animals and cleaning up after them is going to be part of the deal and it is important to make sure that you wash your hands after you are exposed to the chickens or their waste.

As an additional concern, the chickens could view the garden as a source of food and do just as much damage as the bugs. For this reason, you will want to set a perimeter around the plants that you want to protect. Building a small chicken wire fence around the plants will keep the chickens out and keep them from eating your crops and ripping up the soil.

Raising some chickens can be a great way to control pests in the yard and it does offer an environmentally friendly alternative that will appeal to a lot of gardeners. However, this option is not going to be practical for everybody. If for some reason the use of chickens is not going to work for you, there are plenty of other pest control options out there. At Fischer Environmental, pest control that is responsible, sustainable and environmentally friendly is at the core of our mission. If you need supplemental pest control to assist with your outdoor pest problems, we can provide solutions that are safe and effective. Click here to learn more about keeping pests away from your home!