Chickens & Japanese Beetles

Photos by Brenda Fritsch

Free range chickens have helped control the Japanese Beetle in my yard. Over the years I raised many chickens, different breeds and sizes. A few years ago with no chickens the Japanese Beetle returned full force. It is a very destructive beetle iridescent copper/green in color. So,- I found six young egg laying chickens on Craigslist and after a short time was able to let them free range in the yard. The chickens did what they love to do, forage & scratch finding the beetle larvae & other insects in the grass. It was a life saver for the garden plants. This year once again I don’t have any chickens and I am noticing the beetles are returning. There are other options for getting rid of them and this year I may try the soap and water spray method or go get a few more chickens.