Do Chickens Eat Wasps?

During the warmer months of the year, wasps will start to be abundant in the backyard. If you have backyard chickens, you may wonder if they can eat wasps.

So, do chickens eat wasps? Yes, chickens do eat wasps, only if they can catch them. Like most insects, wasps have some nutritional value. This makes them a tasty treat for your chickens. Wasps are equipped with a stinger, but the chance of it doing any harm to your chickens is minimal.

Do Wasps Have Any Health Benefits For Chickens?

Like most other insects, wasps have plenty of nutrition. Wasps are a good source of protein, fat, and plenty of vitamins and minerals.

If your chickens are able to catch them, they will get some health benefits from it.

One of the nutrients is protein. Chickens need plenty of protein in their diet each day. This nutrient helps build and maintain strong muscles and helps organs in the body function properly.

While wasps don’t have a lot of nutrients, it’s enough to supplement their daily nutritional needs.

Is It Ok for Chickens To Eat Wasps?

When it comes to wasps, chickens can eat them without any issues. Besides wasps, they can eat yellow jackets, hornets, and honey bees. Anything that flies and can fit in their mouth, the chickens will eat.

In the wild, insects make up the bulk of their diet. You will notice the chickens foraging for food, eating anything in the soil, or even flying insects in the air.

Can Wasps Be Dangerous or Harmful To Chickens?

Wasps do have stingers, but they don’t have toxins. If the wasps bite, it will just hurt and be painful for a while.

As for the chickens, wasps don’t pose any danger or harm to them. Due to the chicken’s thick feathers and tough skin, the wasp’s stinger won’t be able to penetrate them.

Wasps are very defensive by nature and will attack if they feel threatened. Most of the time, if the wasp is flying around, they are just looking for food.

How To Trap Wasps for Your Chickens

Chickens will try to catch wasps, but they may only catch a few.

If you want to give them more wasps to eat, you can catch them yourself. It’s simple and requires the right equipment.

Also, catching wasps is a good way to reduce the number of them in your yard.

When preparing your trap, it’s important to not use anything that uses chemicals. This includes pesticides and insecticides. While it will kill the wasps, the chemicals will also harm your chickens when they eat them.

There are plenty of traps that you can try, either by building them yourself or buying them from the store.

If you don’t have a lot of time, I recommend you simply buy one. It’s properly designed to catch wasps and any other flying pests.

The one I use to catch wasps in my yard is the Bee Coline Wasp Trap, which is available on Amazon.

There’s no need to set up anything. All you do is open the box and hang it near the chicken coop. The product is solar-powered, which charges the battery during the day. At night, it will stay lit with a small LED light throughout the night to attract wasps and other flying pests.

If you want to attract a lot of the pests, try adding a small bait inside. Insects are attracted to sweet food, so you can put honey or just water mixed with sugar.

In the morning, you’ll have a lot of flying insects to feed your chickens.

What Other Insects Do Chickens Eat?

Ladybugs

During the warmer months, ladybugs will be abundant in the yard and garden. This insect is considered a pest by many gardeners. Ladybugs are safe for chickens to eat. To help keep them away from the plants, you can let your chickens catch and eat them. Like many insects, ladybugs are a good source of protein.

Spiders

There are hundreds of species of spiders around the world. Some have poison that is capable of killing chickens. In the U.S., there are only a few species of spider that are deadly, which include the black widow and the brown recluse. The rest do not have any venom and pose no harm to the chickens. Spiders are a good source of protein and safe for chickens to eat.

Centipedes

Centipedes are found across the country. You can find them hiding in dead logs and plants. This insect has venom, but it’s not strong enough to kill a chicken. However, for younger chickens and chicks, their venom can be enough to kill them. If a chicken sees a centipede, it will most likely catch and eat them.

Conclusion

Chickens can eat wasps, and it’s safe for them. The only problem is if the chicken is able to catch them. If the chickens are able to catch one, their sting won’t be able to harm them. The skin and beaks are too tough for the stinger to penetrate.