Can Chickens Eat Crickets?

Yes, you can feed crickets to your chickens, but you need to optimize the limit so that you can prevent your chickens from falling sick. 

If you own a flock of chickens, then the first thing you might be thinking about is whether or not they can eat crickets? Well, you might not be the only person then. A lot of chicken owners do face the dilemma of feeding insects to their flocks on a daily basis. 

As a part of their diet, it is essential to keep a variety of foods that might be good for their health, but it is also necessary to feed chickens a healthy meal to keep them from developing an upset stomach. 

Wild chickens tend to eat crickets or other insects as their daily munchies. 

Crickets Make a Great Snack for Your Chickens

One of the main things to understand here is that crickets are a great snack for your chickens. Chickens generally enjoy munching on crickets or other insects that help them with nourishment. 

There is a lot of nutrition that these chickens derive from eating crickets, such as high protein and calorie that adds to a perfect meal. Also, some chicks are fed crickets to help them grow better and curb their hunger. 

However, there’s an important disclaimer that all chicken owners should know. 

Wild crickets are often poisonous and contain dangerous substances that can harm your chicken. Unlike those carefully bred and fed at your barn, these crickets can be the reason for spreading rapid disease. 

How Do Chickens Benefit from Eating Crickets?

One of the prime reasons why owners feed crickets to their flock is because they are cost-effective. Purchasing crickets on a wholesale basis, which are generally cultivated for feeding purposes, is inexpensive compared to commercial food or hay fed to your chickens. 

Some of the owners look to harvest these bugs on their own. Crickets and other insects are a perfect meal for your chicken to digest. Some of the owners keep a diet consisting of high-quality worms, insects or grasshoppers. 

These meals are packed with a richness of calcium and form an excellent treat for your flock. On the plus side, these insects are a good source of health benefits for your flock too. 

Some owners have noticed various changes, from having a healthy gut to maintaining fat. 

Some farmers raise crickets for the commercial purpose of feeding chickens. 

Others include baby crickets, which are a delicious meal for your flock. If you don’t believe me, there are plenty of videos present on YouTube that show that feeding crickets is perfectly healthy. 

Live crickets do form a delicious meal with the richness of a protein-rich snack. 

Science Talk: How Are Crickets A Wonder Meal For Your Chicken?

According to research, it is safe for chickens to have crickets. Chickens can eat crickets as a part of their lunch or a midday snack to keep them energized. 

It has been proven that crickets have a nutritional value that is good enough to keep your flock happy. 

Packed with nine essential amino acids, different breeds of crickets have additional benefits. Some of the crickets have rich protein sources, while others have rich Vitamin levels. 

Some other essential nutrients, such as B12, are particularly seen in a variety of crickets. From a mineral perspective, these crickets contain 5x amount of magnesium, which is 3x more than what’s included in an ounce of beef. 

All of these vitamins and nutrients are essential for your chickens so that they can lay healthy eggs. 

Some other reptiles, such as lizards, are also a good substitute for crickets, which can be put on the main menu. 

Tips To Take Care of While Feeding Crickets to Your Chickens

While chickens can eat crickets, there are a few things you need to take care of before feeding them. 

Purchase from a wholesale market

You should always purchase these crickets from pet stores or the wholesale market. 

These markets have a reputation of their own, and thus, they are perfectly safe for buying crickets for your chicken feed. 

Add a high-quality feed to your chicken’s meal plan

Chickens should eat crickets only when they are added to a high-quality poultry feed. 

This depends on the diet that they are on and the type of components they are eating. 

Always choose a reputable breeder

You can also feed dried crickets to your chickens only if they are bought from a reputable breeder. Dried crickets release a chemical compound that can harm your chicken’s health. 

Reputable breeders remove these harmful chemicals, which are then washed and compounded before selling. 

Before buying these crickets from pet stores, check out the certification of the breeders, and then you can make a big purchase. 

Check out the crickets you buy from stores

If you buy crickets from pet stores, make sure that you are only buying those which are suited for your flock. 

Wild chickens eat a different set of dead crickets that are easily digested by them. On the other hand, buying something for your flock might be a hard decision to make. 

It is always important to do your research and understand the fundamental value of these crickets before purchasing.

Always ask your veterinarian in need

Nonetheless, always ask your licensed veterinarian before making any active change in your chicken’s diet. 

It is essential to let them know about their meal plan and the sources of their nutrients. These veterinarians will help you understand if this great snack is an excellent addition to your flock’s meal. 

How Do You Raise Crickets for Your Chickens?

If you wish to feed crickets to your chickens consistently, it is important to raise them independently. For that, you need to have enough room for breeding these live crickets. 

You can buy around 14 gallons of bins from the store as they are capable enough of holding around 500 baby crickets. 

Ensure that the walls of these bins are not smooth so that these crickets cannot climb up and escape. 

From there, you need to add a mesh on the top of these bins for the crickets to breathe. Some baby crickets live at a temperature of 85 Fahrenheit, and when they grow, they can survive in lower temperatures. 

You can feed these crickets fruits such as cucumber or gourds for optimum growth. 

These crickets will start to lay eggs on soil that might appear like white dots. 

Around when these baby crickets grow, you can harvest them in cool temperatures where these bugs sleep for a long time and don’t wake up. 

Later, you can contact direct sellers on Amazon, where these containers are purchased on a wholesale basis. 

In Conclusion

Finally, we can say that crickets have the benefit of being a perfectly healthy option for your flock. 

Remember while feeding crickets to your chickens, always purchase these crickets from a reputable breeder. 

Make sure that you go through their license and site and understand where they are based. Also, if you wish to walk the extra mile, having your cricket farm doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all too.