Mice in, or around the coop..?!

[Peter1975]

I'm sure they carry things like leptospirosis and typhus....deadly deseases for everyone!

 

[Chickann]

roosterjrm & tyjaco. Would you be OK with eating eggs if you saw your chickens chase down, kill, and eat a wild field mouse?
At first I was same as you... Eeewwwww..... But now, I have no issues eating eggs from my birds after they gorge on mice. I just have to see it for what it is.... Extra protein, and it goes through a whole different "plumbing" system, so it's not like I am going to end up with little mouse parts in my eggs. LoL I DO make sure to cook the rodents before serving though.... I want to make sure that any pathogens or parasites are killed, so my babies would not get sick. I was a bit hesitant at first, but I laughed my bum off when I saw how eagerly they gobbled them up! It was totally worth it. But yes, it was a bit on the grose side. Once you do it though, it passes. I can't wait to do it again!

This week, they are getting an entire (boiled of-course) Alaska King Salmon to munch on! Yum Yum Yum!

X2

 

[jk216]

mmmm, diseases! Don't like the sound of that...!
OK maybe vegetarian chickens would be better. My hubby was not impressed with my idea and has put his foot down about buying pinkies from the pet shop to cook up for them.

 

[ChickenJerk]

Mice are on the short list of intolerable things in the egg industry.

http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/10/local-eggs-industrial-eggs-and-salmonella/

And you people are advocating feeding them to chickens?

 

[DrJerryrigger]

Wow, that is a really great, yet really disgusting idea! I'm glad my neighbor's cat likes to hang out in the run to take care of the mice, otherwise I might have to try that.

 

[jk216]

Your right, i have just read your link i wouldn't really feed my chickens mice.

 

[Oakieridge]

I am not sure I would catch mice to feed my chickens but I have seen them chase and catch a mouse before and yes they ate it. They also will go after snakes, grasshopers, ect. Would I cook some for them, nope but that is just me, lol.

 

[Reurra]

What do you think would happen if you fed the raw mice to the chickens? Do you think they would actively hunt down the mice once they got a taste for them? maybe your friend would not ahve so many with a few mice hungry birds around lol

If you cook your eggs and are sanitary about handling them when breaking them, you wont get salmonella. I wash my hands after opening eggs and make sure that the shells go into the compost bin. I also sanitize any surface that the eggs has touched. Salmonella contamination in commercial eggs is found to be 1 in every 30,000 eggs. Home growers have a higher risk because thier operations are much smaller. However, if the grower makes sure that the receiver of the eggs knows to cook thier egg thoroughly there should not be a problem.

 

[mixitup]

Everyone has a different threshold of 'gross'. I've seen my dogs eat disgusting things, puke up even worse and I still kiss their little faces. No different IMO. Chickens are what chickens are. They all eat disgusting things that you don't see and you still eat the eggs! Don't think about it too much or you will end up a vegetarian-as someone else posted! While I wouldn't cook up mice, to each their own!

 

[RonC]

OK thanks for the help with my diet, I can skip lunch now. And maybe dinner too!