Japanese Beetle Control!

My poor apple trees have taken a beating this year. Aphids, fungus, rabbit damage, and now Japanese beetles:

The beetle grubs have left their telltale signs in my lawn, too (dead rings where they've feasted on the grass roots):

There are chemical controls, of course, but the adults are notoriously difficult to manage because they fly from tree to tree with ease and follow pheromone trails from up to 2 miles away. They are also abundant because their favorite foodstuff is pretty much everywhere (e.g. roses, maple trees, fruit tree, crab apple trees, etc.) and there's no end to the expanse of urban lawn in which to lay eggs.

A small-scale organic farmer like me can use physical controls pretty easily. Just handpick those guys off the plants straight into a bucket of soapy water. My dwarf trees are still small enough that I can reach the highest branches.

Today, though, I decided to see if the chickens would eat them. A friend told me about her chickens liking Japanese Beetles, so I thought I'd give it a try. What a treat! Those horrid beetles made a terrific cracking, popping sound when the chickens crunched into them. Mwah ha ha haaaaa!