Chicken eats rat

[SilverBirds]

Chickens "hunting" is brutal stuff. They'll catch a poor creature and play keep away, ripping the animal to shreds still alive. Little dinosaurs they are.

 

[dshort1969]

Our chickens eat shrews and mice all the time! One time there was a huge mouse nest in the coop, long story short they did not last long lol. Another time, one of our ducks swallowed a mouse whole!

Thanks everyone for your responses

 

[Iheartbirds]

Welcome to BYC!

Absolutely no need to worry if you don't have poison out. Chickens are great little hunters and eat rats/mice/anything that moves all the time. City rats are the ones that carry diseases. Even then, it's highly unlikely that your chickens would catch any from them. Not possible for anything to happen to their eggs.

Chickens can also make short work of baby snakes.

 

[Crzy Chi Lady]

As I have also written, if I have to die of a heart attack, please Lord don't let it be in the chicken run. (although it would save on funeral costs )

Ohh my goodness! I was just thinking this my self

 

[marilyn1954]

Any information please. We were tilling our garden yesterday and a small rat run into the chicken coop. And the chickens chased it and all were eating it. Do we need to throw away their eggs worried about any possible diseases? We haven’t put any poison out or anything like that.

Mine eat field mice and frogs all the time. If it’s running, my girls will catch it and have a treat!

 

[MarkButcher]

Any information please. We were tilling our garden yesterday and a small rat run into the chicken coop. And the chickens chased it and all were eating it. Do we need to throw away their eggs worried about any possible diseases? We haven’t put any poison out or anything like that.

Count your blessings that your rooster and flock will go after mice and rats scurrying around!

 

[Uphillfarmswinthrop]

My chickens made me get rid of the rats for them and it was a trial!

But, they love a good mousey! This week, Bronwyn even ate what I would consider a mostly decomposed mouse corpse and seems fine. Mouse keep-away is a popular game for my flock.

Welcome to BYC; hope we've put your mind at ease.

Mouse Keep-away is the perfect name! Mine do it as well.

 

[Johnthefarmer]

Any information please. We were tilling our garden yesterday and a small rat run into the chicken coop. And the chickens chased it and all were eating it. Do we need to throw away their eggs worried about any possible diseases? We haven’t put any poison out or anything like that.

Hi, As you can see from the other replies, it is safe to eat the eggs.
I often travel through places where Rats are a delicacy. People do barbecue Rats of different types eat.

So nothing to worry !

 

[3KillerBs]

Hi, As you can see from the other replies, it is safe to eat the eggs.
I often travel through places where Rats are a delicacy. People do barbecue Rats of different types eat.

So nothing to worry !

They are, after all, made out of meat.

 

[TNchickenlady]

Chickens are omnivores and will eat anything they catch! Rats, mice, worms hornets, frogs, small snakes, etc. You do NOT have to discard your eggs because they ate a rat or mouse.