I hate potato beetles!

[Smart Red]

I remember as a child helping my Daddy pick off potato beetles, but have had no experience with them here. Ha! We're moving back to that part of Texas, I guess I'll get reacquainted with them.

Will chickens eat them? Or will the chickens eat the vines instead? Could you let the chickens in the potato patch to eat the bugs, especially since the vines are toast anyway? What about ducks? Will they eat the vines? Anybody with any experience of letting the poultry in the potato patch?

Two years ago I found hundreds of baby potato bugs on my spud plants. I let two chickens into the garden and they eliminated the bugs in two days. Didn't see another one the rest of the summer.

I wouldn't let all the chickens in at one time. Some would attack the bugs, but others would attack my veggies. Two worked just fine.