WAY TOO MANY BEES IN FEED!

[GuineaMania]

With the weather being nice lately, there have been a lot of bees hovering over my chicken feeders during the day. I've had different types/brands of feed but the bees are still there. If I mixed garlic in with the feed, would the bees leave it alone??? any creative ideas to combat them? I don't want to hurt the bees, It's just way to many now and makes it hard for the chickens to eat at the feeders.

 

[HonkABC]

I'm not sure if garlic would work in the feed, allium family plants are not good for chickens.

 

[Debbie292d]

With the weather being nice lately, there have been a lot of bees hovering over my chicken feeders during the day. I've had different types/brands of feed but the bees are still there. If I mixed garlic in with the feed, would the bees leave it alone??? any creative ideas to combat them? I don't want to hurt the bees, It's just way to many now and makes it hard for the chickens to eat at the feeders.

We had bees for a few years, and never saw an issue with the chickens or their feed. Is nothing blooming yet?

Maybe give the bees some sugar water? We did that through the winter to sustain them. They would prefer sugar water or blooms to chicken feed.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm not sure if garlic would work in the feed, allium family plants are not good for chickens.

If you gave them several cloves of garlic, that may be an issue, but chicken owners use dashes of it. I personally don't as we ferment and that's enough, but many do use it just fine.

 

[GuineaMania]

I'm not sure if garlic would work in the feed, allium family plants are not good for chickens.

I think garlic is okay for chickens...

 

[GuineaMania]

If you gave them several cloves of garlic, that may be an issue, but chicken owners use dashes of it. I personally don't as we ferment and that's enough, but many do use it just fine.

Okay, that makes sense.

 

[GuineaMania]

We had bees for a few years, and never saw an issue with the chickens or their feed. Is nothing blooming yet?

Maybe give the bees some sugar water? We did that through the winter to sustain them. They would prefer sugar water or blooms to chicken feed.

Thanks, I'll try an alternative to the feed like sugar water. The bees are wild and nothing is blooming yet.

 

[Al Gerhart]

If you garden those wild bees are worth supporting during the winter. Or even if you like to eat food bees are worth supporting.

 

[GuineaMania]

If you garden those wild bees are worth supporting during the winter. Or even if you like to eat food bees are worth supporting.

Yes, bees are a great thing! I just don't really like them by the chickens, but in the spring I'm going to have a garden and they will be great to have around. I'm considering keeping bees in the spring but I've heard they are a lot of work.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thanks, I'll try an alternative to the feed like sugar water. The bees are wild and nothing is blooming yet.

I was thinking those were your bees, but same principle.

I'd soak a clean sponge in sugar water and lay it on a plate or something similar, then sit it somewhere chickens can't get to it so the bees can get it from the sponge but not drown. Check it every few days so it's not dry or getting fermented. Then just rinse it out and start over.