Article & Photos by Bruce Ingram
Last winter I was splitting wood, and the first section I cleaved contained crevices displaying a species of hibernating, ebony-colored beetle. A bit later, another split log harbored masses of cold, benumbed carpenter ants. My wife, Elaine, had warned me not to bring inside any more insect-infested wood, as the little creatures, warmed by their proximity to the stove, had commenced to scurry about on our hearth.
I experienced a revelation: Our heritage Rhode Island Red chickens could solve this insect problem. They needed some extra protein and wintertime entertainment, both of which are often in short supply this time of year. So I toted the two chunks of wood to the run and waited to see how our birds would react.