Updated at: 28-05-2023 - By: Jane Brody

What if you wanted to know if hens could consume horn worms?

What you’re looking for is here.

To protect your tomato plants against hornworms, you can use chickens as pesticides.

Having your chickens roam the area looking for hornworms and eating them as a nutritious and delightful snack is an option. While these hornworms can be beneficial to your chickens, it is important to keep an eye on how many of them they consume.

Can Chickens Eat Hornworms (3)

The following is what you’ll learn in this article:

  • Is the hornworm toxic?
  • How do you feed chicken hornworms?
  • Tomato hornworms can chickens eat?
  • Does the presence of hornworms have any beneficial effects?

So if you’re interested in learning everything there is to know about hens and hornworms, this post is for you.

What do you think?

What are we waiting for?

Are Hornworms Poisonous?

Spring and summer are prime times for spotting hornworms.

Caterpillars like this can be seen on your garden’s tomato and tobacco plants.

One day, they can decimate an entire tomato plant. This is why they are a scourge for gardeners.

As a chicken owner, you may worry if your birds can eat the hornworms because they are so annoying.

Hornworms are perfectly safe for hens to eat and are not harmful.

In addition, these caterpillars eat tomato plants, which contain a toxin known as solanine, which can be deadly.

Because tomato plants are their primary source of food, it follows that they have some of this toxin on them.

Chickens and other animals can become ill if they eat too much solanine.

You can feed your chickens hornworms as long as you are aware of this and you want to do so.

So, how do you feed it to your birds?

Let’s find out what’s going on.

How To Feed Hornworms To Chicken?

Can Chickens Eat Hornworms (1)

Hornworms can be fed to hens in a variety of ways.

  1. Inspect your tomato and tobacco plants for hornworms with the help of your backyard poultry. They may detect some hornworms feeding on your tomato plants as they roam around and begin pecking at the insects they see. Chickens are excellent at controlling pests in tiny amounts because they enjoy eating them as a treat.
  2. You can also feed them some hornworms. Hornworms aren’t a necessary element of a chicken’s diet, but they make a tasty side dish. If you detect a few hornworms on your plants, remove them and toss them in the direction of your chickens.
  3. Hornworms can be found in the produce section of your local grocer. In the absence of tomato or tobacco plants, it is unlikely that you have any hornworms to give your dog. Go to the pet store to buy some if this is the case. If you’re looking for a safe and healthy way to feed your pet, hornworms purchased from the store are an excellent choice.

Can Chickens Have Tomato Hornworms?

Tomato hornworms can be present in chickens.

In fact, hens often consume this caterpillar as a healthful treat.

Tomato and tobacco plants are the only things the hornworm eats.

Solanine, which can be lethal to animals if swallowed in excessive amounts, is found in both of these plants.

If your chicken consumes too much of it, it will at the very least be unhealthy for him or her.

So if you see that your chicken is eating a couple of hornworms, there is nothing to worry about.

If your chicken’s sole diet consists of hornworms, you should only intervene if it is consuming too many of them.

A pet store is another option for getting hornworms.

As long as you buy them from an established vendor who isn’t feeding them tomato or tobacco plants, you can consume these hornworms without any worries.

Are Hornworms Good For Anything?

Can Chickens Eat Hornworms (2)

Chickens need calcium and water in order to be healthy and produce eggs. Hornworms are a fantastic supply of both.

This creature is 85 percent water, but it also has protein, fats, calcium and phosphorus in it as well.

Chickens need the calcium provided in hornworms to thrive.

Egg-laying chickens, in particular, need calcium to ensure that their eggs are sturdy and nutritious.

Chickens need a lot of calcium in their food since eggshells are comprised of calcium.

Additionally, hornworms have a lot of water in them, which keeps chickens well-hydrated throughout the summer months.

Before I conclude, I encourage you to check out some of my previous writings on the amazing things chickens can do.

Wrapping Up

If a chicken is to be happy and healthy, it must eat a diversified diet.

You can feed hornworms to your chickens if you have a problem in your garden.

Pest control and poultry feeding are two great ways to accomplish the same goal in a single day.

It’s comforting to hear that hens can indeed benefit nutritionally from the consumption of hornworms.

Consider the dangers of feeding hornworms to your pet if you overfeed them.

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