Do hens eat butterflies?

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daisy1990

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Do hens eat butterflies?
« on: July 27, 2010, 13:15 »
I had lots of butterflies in my meadow until my three girls arrived- now see none.  Are the hens eating them?
3 dogs, 8 chickens, 4 rabbits 2 guinea pigs, 10 quail, 2 fish and a demanding daughter who has gone to uni and left me with 29 animals to care for!!=)

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sneezer

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Re: Do hens eat butterflies?
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2010, 13:54 »
Yes I'm afraid they do, mine love those little white moths and basically anything else that moves one had a shrew the other day!

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hillfooter

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Re: Do hens eat butterflies?
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2010, 13:57 »
I had lots of butterflies in my meadow until my three girls arrived- now see none.  Are the hens eating them?

Yes they do but I doubt  3 hens would do a lot of damage unless they breed within the chickens ranging area and it's more likely the catapilars they take.
HF
Truth through science.

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daisy1990

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Re: Do hens eat butterflies?
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2010, 13:59 »
thanks I thought as much but they look so innocent!

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Casey76

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Re: Do hens eat butterflies?
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2010, 14:55 »
Hens are not innocent  :dry:  :tongue2:

You haven't seen anything till you see three or four hens playing tug of war with a mouse or a vole!  :blink:

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daisy1990

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Re: Do hens eat butterflies?
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2010, 20:02 »
yuk! lets hope I miss that one

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Foghorn-Leghorn

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Re: Do hens eat butterflies?
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2010, 20:56 »
I wondered what on earth was wrong with one of my chooks this evening as she bombed down the garden with her neck stretched up as far as possible - then I spotted the huge moth she was after!

I also had to rescue a frog from one of the flower moonscape borders before the girls spotted him.  I like frogs far too much to let the hens have them (the same can't be said for snails).
"The chicken came first—God would look silly sitting on an egg."

— Author Unknown

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pigeonpie

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Re: Do hens eat butterflies?
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2010, 22:19 »
I often find myself giggling away as I see one of the girls charging across the garden with her head in the air trying to catch a passing moth or butterfly. 
I'm thinking of loaning them out to people who have cabbage white issues!


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