This week, the question was: What happened to this poor collard plant?
I routinely scout the collards in my yard for insect pests and enjoy watching wasps parasitize worms and aphids. I walked out the other day and thought the wasps must be taking a break from parasitizing because I have serious damage. Upon further inspection, I realized the collards didn’t look like any insect damage I had seen before. I looked around the yard and spotted 4 very happy hens prancing around the yard. Chickens and geese have been known to mow down brassicas. Just like us, they have preferences on which species they like. One year in a commercial field, geese went down an entire row of broccoli and stripped it clean. They skipped the cabbage and collard rows and picked up eating the broccoli rows a few rows over. If you raise chickens and vegetables on your farm, don’t count your eggs until they hatch…
This week’s question is from Zack Snipes, Coastal Fruit and Vegetable Extension Agent.
The South Carolina Grower 
2 responses to “Question of the Week – Bad Chickens”
I’m getting ready to enter the world of gardening with chickens. Would guinea hens be better for insect control with less plant damage?
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Hi John, the consensus is that guineas don’t seem to be herbivores, however, that is just anecdotal. Zack recommends trying them and firing up the crockpot if they develop a taste for veggies!
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