Chicks ate a bee.....

[NewChickmom2016]

We have been taking our 4 1/2 week old chicks out to their run for "field trips" the past couple of days. They absolutely LOVE it! This morning they were telling me, quite loudly, that they were ready to go out! This afternoon I was sitting out there with them- a bee flew in- one of them snatched it in nothing flat, and then the other 3 fought over who was going to eat it. The one that caught it dropped it to the ground and stared at it for a second. I think more than one of them got a "bite" out of it. The catcher then ran over and had quite a bit to eat out of the feeder. Other than that- they have all been acting normal.
Does eating bees ever give chickens any trouble? I am used to our foster puppies grabbing one and getting stung, then getting all swollen up and needing benadryl!
Silly chickens.....
-Jerie

 

[azygous]

I would think a chick or chicken eating a bee and getting stung would be a rare event. They generally thrash the daylights out of anything before they swallow it. I don't think a bee would be alive to do any damage by the time it got into the crop.

 

[NewChickmom2016]

Oh yes, they were thrashing it! Just wasn't sure what would happened- figured the bee venom is in the bee- didn't know if swallowing it would have an effect.
Didn't seem to!