Big white garden grubs

[washxc]

Hey Guys,

I've been planting blueberry bushes this week and I keep finding these big white grubs in the ground. I've got a couple three week old Buff Orpingtons in the brooder and I wondered if I could feed them a couple. These things are nasty looking, but I bet the chickens would love them. I haven't given them any grit beyond what comes in their chick crumbles yet.

Thoughts on feeding them? And any thoughts on what these giant nasty grubs will turn in to?

 

[Friend2Fowl]

The only thing about feeding birds 'wild' worms (red, grub, whatever) is that they (the worms) can be carriers for parasites. This means that the worm can have 'worm' eggs (roundworm, etc.) inside it, which would then be passed on to your chicks when they eat it.

 

[Break an Egg]

If your girls free range at all, they will have access to all kinds of bugs, mine even eat snakes.

Last year, when I was tilling up a flower bed, we found a big white grub like the ones you're seeing. Before we could get it for one of hens, our "speedy hen" grabbed it and got it. Apparently, she liked it because she stayed around to see what else I'll dig up.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mine eat all sorts of bugs. Haven't had a problem yet.

 

[Tangerine farmer]

We had a load of mulch spread in the barn area for footing improvement. After some heavy rains... we had HUNDREDS of big white grubs floating in the big puddle. I mean hundreds. The girls ate tons and tons. Even the local Sparrow Hawk come for a feast. No one got sick, we got lots of eggs, but they didn't taste grub-like, thankfully!!

 

[washxc]

Awesome, do you think the grubs would be alright for 3 week old birds who haven't been outside too much yet?

 

[Break an Egg]

Quote:
As long as they get some grit, I think they'll do fine.

 

[momof2monkeys]

Mine play "chicken rugby" with the grubs! So much fun to watch!!! I actually saw one of my girls grab another one by the neck feathers! They are crazy over the grubs.

 

[tellynpeep]

They are beetle larvae. Probably will be June Beetles or Japanese Beetles (at least around here.) My big girls LOVE them!
The chicken parasites are carried by earthworms. I don't know of any carried by beetle larvae.

 

[Chieftain]

I keep hearing the pros and cons over this...how the chooks can get worms....nematodes are bad for them...yet so many people free range their chickens and never seem to have a problem. I'm hoping that my chooks keep my yard bug free, and there are so many earthworms in my yard and flowerbeds I have no idea how I would keep the chooks from eating them even if I decided to try.

Just for conversational purposes, if your chooks do get "worms from the worms" isn't there an effective treatment for that??

Would sprinkling DE in the flowerbeds and yard help??

??