I'm not too upset about them eating this particular plant because it is a medicinal herb called comfrey which I rarely use. Here is a picture of it a few weeks ago when it was in bloom and before the grasshoppers arrived.
Like most medicinal herbs, comfrey's medicinal uses have not been supported by modern medical research. But, herbal lore indicates that it is good for skin ailments. The plant contains the small organic molecule allantoin, which is thought to stimulate cell growth and repair while simultaneously depressing inflammation. It is commonly agreed that Comfrey should be restricted to topical use only, and should never be ingested. One traditional use of comfrey is in healing bone fractures, thus its common name "knitbone".
But, back to the grasshoppers. They do not seem to be bothering any of the other plants in my herb garden. So, the comfrey appears to be acting as a "trap" plant. In other words, it is attracting the grasshoppers and they prefer to eat it, rather than the other plants in the garden. I'm not worried that they are going to destroy it because comfrey has an aggressive growth habit and really does not seem to be hurting too bad because of the grasshopper damage.
I know the chickens like to eat insects, but there are some insects they will NOT eat. For example, they will not eat Potato Bugs. I've heard that this may be because potato bug larvae feed on the leaves of potatoes which are in the nightshade family and have poisonous leaves. So, last week I tried an experiment. I caught a couple of the grasshoppers to see if the chickens would eat them. Here they are right before they were introduced to the chickens.
Results of the experiment are that chickens DO like grasshoppers. I had not really planned for this to become a frequent activity for me, but the flock was so delighted over the tasty morsels that I have subsequently found myself catching grasshoppers whenever I can and taking them out to the chicken pen. This has made me very popular with our hens.
But, back to the grasshoppers. They do not seem to be bothering any of the other plants in my herb garden. So, the comfrey appears to be acting as a "trap" plant. In other words, it is attracting the grasshoppers and they prefer to eat it, rather than the other plants in the garden. I'm not worried that they are going to destroy it because comfrey has an aggressive growth habit and really does not seem to be hurting too bad because of the grasshopper damage.
I know the chickens like to eat insects, but there are some insects they will NOT eat. For example, they will not eat Potato Bugs. I've heard that this may be because potato bug larvae feed on the leaves of potatoes which are in the nightshade family and have poisonous leaves. So, last week I tried an experiment. I caught a couple of the grasshoppers to see if the chickens would eat them. Here they are right before they were introduced to the chickens.
Results of the experiment are that chickens DO like grasshoppers. I had not really planned for this to become a frequent activity for me, but the flock was so delighted over the tasty morsels that I have subsequently found myself catching grasshoppers whenever I can and taking them out to the chicken pen. This has made me very popular with our hens.
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