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Mon, May 2, 11 at 8:00
| Does anyone know for a fact whether chickens will eat European red ants (myrmica rubra?) |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I cannot be sure although I know chickens will eat ants. Chickens, like many other birds, will also use these ants to help clean mites off their skins, something called by us "anting". |
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| I think guineas do a better job at ant and tick control. |
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| I can't do guineas as I am in a residential neighborhood and wouldn't inflict their screeching on my neighbors. It would have to be chickens or bantams. I have emailed my state university ant research group to ask this question also, but so far have received no response. I have been told that chickens do eat the southern fire ants, however myrmica rubra are different in that they are sugar ants. In light of the fact that I am not finding a definitive answer, I'm trying to envision an experiment where I can confine ants and chickens together and see if the ants disappear are ingested. |
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