Can chickens get diseases from doves?

[Muddpuppy]

Hello Chicken Friends,

This is my first thread and I wasn't 100% sure where I was supposed to put this, but I hope I put it in the right spot.

So this morning, my husband went out to the chicken coop to check on the chickens and found a half eaten dove inside. We build our chicken coop ourselves, it has a buried wired floor, chain link layered with poultry wires around the run, an attached roof, and a really solid wood coop. There is no way a coyote or bobcat got in, but there is a small area where a dove could fly in. I've seen doves and quails hanging out in the shade of the coop, but never thought anything of it.

So I guess the question is: did my chickens kill and eat a dove? If they did, should I be worried about diseases? Are their eggs safe to eat? Are they going to become cannibals?

My husband and I live in the high desert (before we had raised chickens in a less arid area). I feed them greens (like spinach/chard/mustard greens) and lay mash chicken feed. Is it possible they have a nutrition deficiency and that's why they ate the dove?

Please advise me! I've raised over a dozen chickens and I have never had anything like this happen before. Thank you in advance for responses.

 

[RileyCalanchini]

The dove most likely flew into the coop and got trapped. Do you have a rooster? Roosters are very territorial and will attack other birds. I've had this from experience. If the chickens killed it, they most likely ate it also. I'm not sure if the chickens will get a disease. That depends entirely if the dove had a disease and if the disease can infect chickens. The only way to find out if your chickens will get a disease is if they become sick. Then you'll know for sure. They shouldn't become cannibals either. As long as your feeding them well, they shouldn't have the desire to eat each other.