I have had several instances of my hens running around with dead baby birds(of course, they eat them) and my family is grossed out by my eggs now. does anyone know if this is really a concern. they only free range for 3-4 hours later in day.
chickens eating baby wild birds
- Thread starter chooniecat
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It's definitely a concern as wild birds can spread H1N1 to your flock. As for anything else, it's just another source of protein so it's good for the chickens that way. Chickens will eat mice, skinks, snakes and any other moving crawling thing that they think won't eat them.
But I would somehow try to discourage the eating of wild birds.
It's definitely a concern as wild birds can spread H1N1 to your flock. As for anything else, it's just another source of protein so it's good for the chickens that way. Chickens will eat mice, skinks, snakes and any other moving crawling thing that they think won't eat them.
But I would somehow try to discourage the eating of wild birds.
- Thread starter
- #3
I guess I sort of knew already (but am stubborn!) and should probably just enlarge their existing pens or make them a tractor for moving around the yard(then I can check for bb birds on ground before they are moved) but they would STILL have the possibility of a bb bird falling IN their tractor. they already horrified me by eating a (or at least CATCHING) a toad that I got away from them and put in the woods. it appeared dead but I guess they DO have a "play dead" response sometimes. I don't mind them eating bugs and babie things that would die anyhow but the eating of snakes and amphibeans is objected to.
I wouldn't stress too much about it, as it is almost impossible to keep wild birds away from chickens. In the US, we have not had any humans with Bird Flu, hopefully it won't become a problem. Even huge chicken houses can have sparrow problems. Tell your family to just make sure they cook the eggs as if they came from the store. They are still much better than commercial eggs for them, with their varied, non-medicated diet.
My chickens will eat anything that doesn't eat them first.
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The concern isn't so much the unlikely transmission of the virus to humans (which wouldn't happen through the eggs in any case). It's the fact that if there is an H1N1 outbreak in birds in your area, the USDA can order you to destroy your flock- whether they have the virus or not. So anything we can do to prevent transmission prevents an outbreak.
The concern isn't so much the unlikely transmission of the virus to humans (which wouldn't happen through the eggs in any case). It's the fact that if there is an H1N1 outbreak in birds in your area, the USDA can order you to destroy your flock- whether they have the virus or not. So anything we can do to prevent transmission prevents an outbreak.
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I keep finding dead frogs in my gals' run. Not fun
I keep finding dead frogs in my gals' run. Not fun
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You are objecting to what is natural for them.
You are objecting to what is natural for them.
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